Vortex about Fabergé eggs from Putin's friend at Tegernsee: Now the oligarch is speaking - "completely unfounded"
Created: 2022-10-20 04:46
By: Klaus Wiendl
The discussion about the value of the finds seized in the villa of Putin's friend continues.
Usmanow, meanwhile, denies the allegation of tax evasion.
Rottach-Egern – The discussion about the value of the replica Fabergé eggs in his possession does not let the billionaire Alisher Usmanow rest.
Now he is sending images through his spokesman Grigory Levchenko – and speaks of trading prices between 200 and 2000 euros for the replicas.
Usmanow (left) sends our newspaper a photograph of a Fabergé ice cream.
The photo should serve as proof that this is a cheap replica, a "souvenir".
© Imago/Usmanov
As reported, investigators from Soko “Ukraine” came across four Fabergé eggs, among other things, during a raid on the villa of the sanctioned billionaire in Rottach a month ago.
At first, the Munich II public prosecutor assumed that these were originals from the 19th century.
For the Munich art expert Heinrich Graf von Spreti, on the other hand, it quickly became clear that they had to be imitations - albeit valuable ones.
Putin confidant Usmanov under suspicion: Munich expert estimates eggs at 200,000 euros
Without ever having seen them, he estimated their value at around 200,000 euros.
Last week, the public prosecutor's office also announced that, according to a preliminary expert assessment, these are not genuine Fabergé eggs in the historical sense, but that they "represent not inconsiderable assets".
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Usmanov disagrees: "the actual price of the souvenir is several times lower"
This assessment did not let Usmanow rest.
In a letter to our newspaper yesterday, he clarified through his spokesman that the "actual price of the souvenir is many times lower".
It is also for sale.
As proof, he attached a photo of an "identical" egg with the miniature replica of St. Basil's Cathedral.
It is a certified and authorized egg design from France, made in Limoges by Jean Marie Reynaud.
This attempts to "restore the splendor of the original Fabergé eggs," it says.
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According to spokesman Levchenko, research on the Internet revealed that "an identical egg was purchased at auction in 2020 for only 300 Canadian dollars".
At the same time, a similar egg was offered in an online shop for $4,000.
Eggs signed Reynaud would sell for between $200 and $2,000.
When asked, the spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office did not want to comment on the photo, citing the ongoing investigation.
Under the terms of the sanctions, Usmanov should have reported all assets.
The value of the Fabergé eggs is therefore of considerable importance.
In the current statement, the billionaire rejects the allegation of tax evasion, which prompted the public prosecutor's office to carry out the raid, as "completely unfounded".
He said he never "received any formal notification" and sees the search as a "means of exerting political pressure".
The public prosecutor's office pointed out three weeks ago that "only after all necessary investigations have been carried out can it be checked whether the public prosecutor's office believes that there is evidence of a crime".
The presumption of innocence applies to Usmanov until a final conviction.
A statement from the accused is not available, so that "a detailed examination is not possible".
The public prosecutor's office did not comment on the value of the seized items.
By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Tegernsee newsletter.
