In Germany, documents tied to a high-profile case involving Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov were reportedly returned to the Bayern Munich football club after authorities completed their verification. This development was described by the German newspaper Bild, which noted that the return occurred without the kind of public signaling that accompanied searches conducted at Usmanov’s business premises and later disclosed to the media.
Records indicate that in June 2023 Usmanov initiated legal action against the Frankfurt Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, seeking to have the arrest warrant and the investigations at the Allianz Arena declared illegal. Bild reports that in November 2023 the Frankfurt Regional Court dismissed the challenge for formal reasons, marking a procedural end to that particular phase of the dispute.
The court’s decision stated that a party lacking the right to appeal over inadmissibility does not automatically render a search warrant issued on February 24, 2023 lawful, nor does it establish an initial basis to suspect the applicant of a crime. This finding appears to have influenced prosecutors to pursue an out-of-court resolution with Bayern Munich and arrange the return of the seized materials without public fanfare.
Observers note that had Bayern Munich representatives chosen to file a formal complaint, the process might have exposed prosecutorial measures to greater scrutiny and potentially adverse outcomes for the authorities involved. Such reflections underscore the delicate balance in Germany between conducting authoritative investigations and maintaining operational discretion in high-profile cases.
Georg Ungefuck, who heads the press service at the Frankfurt am Main Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed that the documents were returned following a review and assessment process. The development was presented as a routine step in ensuring that materials returned to their origin were properly evaluated and that no further investigative leverage remained unjustified.
Criminal lawyer Nicholas Fruesorger commented that the return of the Bayern documents signaled that the initial suspicion justifying the seizure did not hold up under scrutiny. Such a conclusion, according to him, aligns with the objective of avoiding wasteful use of taxpayer money and refraining from intrusive searches in cases lacking credible early signs of criminal activity.
Earlier reporting from Bild indicated that German police had searched the Allianz Arena and Bayern’s offices in connection with the Usmanov matter. Bayern’s communications team cited those searches as an overstep by the prosecution, arguing they reflected an excessive response to the case rather than a measured investigative step.