Economic sanctions against Russia
Oligarch Usmanov files constitutional complaint against yacht searches
Status: 07:28 | Reading time: 3 minutes
In addition to the yacht, Usmanow also has several villas on Lake Tegernsee
Source: dpa
The Uzbek oligarch Alisher Usmanov is on the European sanctions list – and is now filing a constitutional complaint in Germany. He sees his fundamental right to the inviolability of the home violated. However, this apartment is a luxury yacht.
The sanctioned oligarch Alisher Usmanow is taking action against the Munich judiciary before the Federal Constitutional Court. As can be seen from his 67-page constitutional complaint, which WELT AM SONNTAG has received, Usmanow is defending himself in Karlsruhe against the search warrant of the Munich district court, on the basis of which the luxury yacht “Dilbar” in the port of Bremen, which is attributed to the oligarch, was searched. The Federal Constitutional Court confirmed that a complaint against the search warrant had been received and was now being processed under file number 1 BvR 1498/23.
Usmanov is on the European sanctions list as a suspected supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In addition to the luxury yacht “Dilbar”, the entrepreneur, who now lives in Uzbekistan, is also credited with several villas in Bavaria on Lake Tegernsee. They were also searched as part of the investigation into alleged tax evasion, money laundering and violations of the Foreign Trade Act.
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Both the villas, worth several million euros, and the boat formally belong to companies, which German investigators attribute to Usmanov’s economic sphere of influence.
Usmanow sees the raids as a violation of his human dignity and the inviolability of the home guaranteed in the Basic Law – since a luxury yacht also represents such a protected home. The complaint states that not only are there no grounds for the sanctions against Usmanov because he did not support the Russian regime, but also that the paragraph of the Foreign Trade Law that Usmanov allegedly violated is unconstitutional.
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The paragraph stipulates that sanctioned persons must report their assets to the authorities themselves. This contradicts the principle of not having to incriminate yourself. Usmanow is represented in Karlsruhe by constitutional lawyer Dietrich Murswiek.
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So far, Usmanov has taken action against the sanctions and their consequences with varying degrees of success. While the Frankfurt Regional Court ruled that the searches on suspicion of money laundering were unlawful, the Court of Justice of the European Union rejected an urgent application against the sanctions.
The EU Council put Usmanov on the sanctions list after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The explanatory statement states that Usmanov is “a pro-Kremlin oligarch who has particularly close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
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According to reports, Usmanov “served as a straw man for President Putin, solving his business problems.” “Therefore, he actively supported, materially or financially, Russian decision-makers responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.” Usmanov denies these allegations.
The Uzbek therefore wants to open another legal front in the near future in addition to the constitutional complaint and the lawsuit before the General Court of the European Union. “We are considering filing a press lawsuit against the Council of the EU in late summer,” announced Usmanow’s media lawyer Joachim Steinhöfel. The justification for the sanctions violated Usmanov’s personal rights.
He is already taking action against an American magazine that has claimed that Usmanov served as Putin’s straw man. The justification for the sanctions is also based on this article. However, the EU does not name a source for its assessment of Usmanov’s role in its justification for the sanctions.
A quick decision on the constitutional complaint is unlikely. According to Murswiek, it will take a few months for the judges in Karlsruhe to decide whether to accept the complaint. Usmanov’s chances are not good: the Federal Constitutional Court does not accept more than 90 percent of all complaints.
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