Did Usmanow store Fabergé eggs in his villa in Rottach-Egern?
Created: 09/24/2022, 07:00
A large-scale raid took place in Alisher Usmanov's villa.
Apparently, pieces of jewelry worth millions were discovered.
© Thomas Plettenberg
During the raid on Usmanow's villa in Rottach-Egern, the investigators apparently discovered rare and extremely valuable pieces of jewelry: they could be four Fabergé eggs.
Rottach-Egern
– Four properties that Alischer Usmanow once acquired on Lake Tegernsee were searched by up to 120 officers on Wednesday.
The billionaire is considered a friend of Putin and is suspected of money laundering.
Usmanow defends himself against the allegations – but according to
Spiegel
, the police found pieces of jewelry worth millions during the raid.
Numerous armed forces with bulletproof vests and balaclavas gave the impression during the search that they were on the trail of serious criminal gangs on the lake shore of Rottach-Egern.
The area at the end of Fischerstraße was hermetically sealed off.
The investigators were particularly interested in the villa, which Alisher Usmanov had bought in 2011 through a tax haven for 7.2 million euros.
The native Uzbek put many millions into the conversion and expansion of the former SS villa.
Fabergé eggs in Usmanov villa?
Authenticity is now being checked
The find that investigators came across when searching the manorial seat was probably worth millions.
According to
Spiegel
, investigators apparently confiscated rare jewelry from the billionaire's vault.
These could be four so-called Fabergé eggs.
The authenticity of the exclusive pieces of jewelery is now being checked by the authorities.
Six of the valuable eggs are considered lost
Fabergé eggs were made by the Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé from the late 19th century.
Their shape resembles Easter eggs, they are decorated and partly set with diamonds.
However, it is difficult to quantify the value of the custom-made items.
For 12.5 million euros, one changed hands in 2007 at the London auction house Christie's.
Fabergé eggs can usually only be seen in museums.
Ten pieces are said to be in the Kremlin, six are believed to be missing.
The aim of the raid was actually to find evidence of suspected money laundering and tax evasion.
According to Spiegel
, the BKA's "Ukraine" task force for serious and organized crime
has collected almost 100 suspected money laundering reports from banks in the past few months that are associated with Usmanov.
Search unprecedented in German criminal history
The action is unprecedented in German criminal history, writes the news magazine.
For the first time, officials are using criminal law to take action against an oligarch who has been sanctioned for political reasons.
For the rule of law, this approach is a stroke of luck and an emergency solution at the same time.
Because it holds the chance to finally get hold of the assets of at least one Russian oligarch - via the detour of tax laws.
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Usmanov hid several luxury sedans in an underground car park
Our newspaper had repeatedly reported on luxury Maybach limousines with Munich license plates that were hidden in the underground car park of a small residential complex not far from Usmanow's property.
They were part of a fleet of vehicles owned by a Munich company that Usmanow and his sister Gulbakhor Ismailowa can be attributed to, as
Spiegel
now reports.
The billionaire had 13 cars at his disposal, including a bulletproof one.
Usmanov's spokesman rejects all allegations
At the request of our newspaper, Usmanov's spokesman Grigory Levchenko denied all allegations by the Munich II public prosecutor's office.
She was responsible for the raid.
"The investigations are absurd," said Levchenko, because Usmanov had "paid his taxes in the place where he made his main investments, in Russia, since 2014" during the "period in question".
In addition, Usmanow no longer owns any real estate in Germany, "since the real estate is now in family foundations, of which Mr. Usmanow is not a beneficiary".
He will use all "legal means" to defend himself against the allegations.
In theory, the 69-year-old could see to it that things are all right in Rottach.
According to Spiegel, he should be in possession of an Italian tourist visa that is valid throughout the EU.
The visa is valid until 2025.
Klaus Wiendl
