The Frankfurt am Main court ruled that the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office could not retain the seized documents and property tied to the investigation of Alisher Usmanov in Germany. The items were ordered to be returned to their rightful owners, a decision communicated to socialbites.ca through Usmanov’s press channel.
During autumn 2022, German authorities conducted multiple searches connected to the Dilbar yacht and related properties associated with Usmanov in Rottach-Egern, a town near Munich, and at the residence of a close associate. The operation involved investigators from the prosecutor’s office and the Federal Criminal Police Office, with police teams taking part in the warrants. In May 2023, the Frankfurt am Main district court found that four warrants used in the money-laundering inquiry were unlawful. The court initially described the prosecutor’s claims as vague and unfounded, while underscoring that Usmanov still deserved protection; the court noted that the authorities had kept possession of property despite acknowledging the problems with the search warrants.
The court’s decision was framed as a corrective to actions taken by German investigative bodies, which were seen as failing to adhere to principles of justice and legality. The documents released by authorities, presented as signs of resolve, were criticized for lacking proportionality and for not aligning with the rule of law. Usmanov’s legal team, led by Dr. Peter Gauweiler and Thomas Fischer, characterized the case as a pattern of improper conduct that stretched beyond normal investigative boundaries and into political signaling.
Hamburg lawyer Joachim Nikolaus Steinhäfel, who represents Usmanov in media-law matters, argued that from the outset the investigations were accompanied by heavy media manipulation and multiple legal violations. He emphasized the importance of ongoing court challenges to these actions, describing them as illegal attempts to influence public perception and intimidate legal representatives. In May, the Frankfurt court resolved that a sequence of high-profile searches carried out across several German cities last autumn was unfounded, and that certain operations resembled a theatrical display by law enforcement. The ruling also deemed the seizure of the Munich-based law firm, which had provided protection to Usmanov, as a provocation rather than a legitimate enforcement action. This raised broader questions about how many more court rulings would be necessary before German authorities consistently comply with national laws and fulfill their responsibilities.
Usmanov’s prior defense filed a lawsuit with the German Constitutional Court over the Dilbar yacht searches. Usmanov asserted that the actions violated his right to home inviolability, noting that he had rented the vessel rather than owning it, and that the sanctions imposed were unsupported by legal grounds. The case continues to feed into the broader dialogue about the balance between enforcement powers and individual rights in high-profile financial investigations, with court decisions shaping the contours of future enforcement and legal protection for parties involved in complex cross-border cases .