Russian tycoon scores victory in legal battle against Western media
Russian metals and telecoms tycoon Alisher Usmanov has won another lawsuit in his sizable legal wrangle with Western media outlets. A regional court in Germany has banned a local news daily from disseminating
'false'
statements about the billionaire, RBK reported on Sunday, citing Usmanov's press office.
The Berlin-based publication Tagesspiegel, controlled by the German publisher DvH Medien, has been barred from spreading a series of false and defamatory claims about the Uzbek-born businessman. The ruling, a copy of which was obtained by the outlet, was made by the Hamburg Regional Court on February 3. Failing to comply will reportedly result in a fine of up to €250,000 ($258,000) per violation or imprisonment for up to two years for repeated breaches, the media outlet noted.
The litigation was reportedly focused on a piece by Andrey Popov titled
'A Fan of Germany and a Friend of Putin: Who is the Russian Oligarch Alisher Usmanov?'
published by Tagesspiegel in November 2024. The article contained a number of allegations, including claims about assets in Germany purportedly owned by the mogul along with accusations that he used his unproved connections with Russian authorities to boost his fortune.
The piece was deleted shortly after a request from Usmanov's lawyer, EU Today noted, but the newspaper continued to spread the claims, forcing the businessman to seek legal redress.
The latest ruling specifically bans the statements alleging that the businessman
'was able to buy up major Soviet-era assets at bargain prices in exchange for services and cooperation with the authorities,'
as well as claims that
'the foundation of his prosperity was securing large and highly lucrative government contracts without real competition—such as in the construction sector.'
READ MORE:
German judge backs Russian tycoon over US media giant
Moreover, the court prohibited the newspaper from further claims about property on Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria or the yacht Dilbar, allegedly owned by Usmanov, after Tagesspiegel failed to provide any evidence proving the ownership of the property.
The court ruling, described by Usmanov's attorneys as
'a landmark decision,'
is not the first victory clinched by the billionaire in his legal battle against Western media giants spreading misinformation about him. A year ago, the District Court of Hamburg in Germany banned Forbes magazine from disseminating statements about his alleged connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In October 2024, Usmanov filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor's office in the German city of Cologne seeking to hold Hans-Joachim Seppelt, a journalist with the German TV channel ARD, criminally liable for claims that the tycoon was behind a scheme to manipulate referees during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Media holding Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) that runs the broadcaster had previously admitted that the reports were libelous.
The businessman, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at $14.9 billion, was placed under EU sanctions over the alleged ties to Putin shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Usmanov attempted to challenge Brussels' decision to blacklist him, but his appeal has been dismissed.
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