A villa in Germany, previously owned by Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, has been put up for sale, according to Deutsche Welle, referencing the Münchner Merkur newspaper.

This three-story villa spans 735 square meters and is situated on a 4700 square meter plot along the shores of Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria, Germany. The house features four bedrooms, a 750 square meter sauna, and a 20-meter swimming pool.

The property is valued at 25 million euros, making it the most expensive real estate listing in the history of the aggregator site Immowelt, which has been collecting data on property sales in Germany since 1996.

The decision to sell was made by the court in the city of Wolfratshausen. The insolvency administrator explained that the villa was owned by the offshore company Tegernsee (IOM) Limited, registered in the Isle of Man. The property was purchased by the offshore entity in 2011 for 7.2 million euros, after which Usmanov rented it from the company for 77,000 euros per week. However, the firm became insolvent, and now its assets are being sold to cover debts.

The sale of the house is being conducted confidentially among a select group of buyers. Previously, the insolvency administrator sold a boat shed in front of the house for 1 million euros and is negotiating the sale of other assets related to Tegernsee (IOM) Limited.

In June 2024, the Hamburg Regional Court prohibited the newspaper Tegernseer Stimme from disseminating the claim that USM founder Alisher Usmanov owns the villa in Bavaria. Each violation of this ban carries a fine of up to 250,000 euros.

Updated: Later, Alisher Usmanov's press service informed Spot that the villa in Germany does not belong to the Russian businessman. The property is owned by “trustees of irrevocable discretionary trusts and is managed by them.”

Alisher Usmanov is reportedly not a beneficiary of these trusts and does not have management rights over these trusts, which were established many years ago. Even if he were a beneficiary, “he had no rights regarding the trust assets.”

Usmanov Under Sanctions

In early March 2022, Alisher Usmanov was placed on the sanctions lists of the European Union and Japan. The businessman filed a lawsuit regarding the EU sanctions, claiming that the restrictions threaten the bankruptcy of key companies within his holding—“MegaFon,” “Metalloinvest,” and “Udokan Copper.” In the EU General Court, Usmanov's lawyer stated that the sanctions were due to his wealth and notoriety.

In January 2023, it became known that Usmanov intends to cease business activities and step down from the board of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. He confirmed his withdrawal from corporate projects and his focus on philanthropy.

In May of the same year, the Frankfurt am Main Regional Court ruled that searches at properties associated with Usmanov, including the villas on Lake Tegernsee and the yacht Dilbar in the port of Bremen, were illegal, deeming the money laundering allegations baseless.

In October of last year, German authorities conducted searches at properties linked to Alisher Usmanov. During these searches, luxury items such as Mercedes Maybach S500 and Mercedes Brabus cars were seized. However, Usmanov's representatives stated that these items belong to trusts that he does not control.

In August 2023, Usmanov filed a complaint with the German Constitutional Court, challenging the personal sanctions against him and certain provisions of German foreign trade law, claiming that they contradict constitutional rights against self-incrimination.

Usmanov also reported “significant” losses due to sanctions that have affected tens of thousands of people linked to him. The billionaire distanced himself from the label of “oligarch,” justifying this by stating he had “not participated in privatizations” and had no “questionable support from the state.”

In August of this year, the businessman described the sanctions against major Russian businesses as a “colossal mistake.”

“They [Western governments] wanted to damage the Russian economy, but it is growing. They expected to punish the Russian business elite, but it has brought the money back home,” Usmanov noted.

He paid particular attention to the sanctions against his family members, stating that he will “continue to fight against the sanctions to protect his family.”

Earlier, Spot reported that the Russian subsidiary of the NBU may come under EU sanctions.