Russian billionaire suing German journalist – media 

Alisher Usmanov earlier this month won a libel case against Germany’s public broadcaster ARD

Russian metals tycoon Alisher Usmanov has filed a criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office in Cologne, Germany, after winning a libel case against German TV channel ARD, tabloid Bild reported on Friday, citing Usmanov’s attorney. The billionaire is seeking to hold a journalist with ARD criminally liable.

Earlier this month, the District Court of Hamburg backed Usmanov in a libel case against German public broadcaster ARD, which had previously published two articles and one video report where journalist Hans-Joachim Seppelt accused the Russian businessman of being behind a scheme to manipulate referees during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The court found the information published by ARD unreliable and banned its distribution as “inappropriate news based on suspicion.” The ruling also includes a fine of up to 250,000 euro (about $274,000) or imprisonment for failure to comply.

“Mr Seppelt and the ARD sports show have not only violated basic journalistic standards and the press code. This malicious and vile insinuation is also punishable. Seppelt only wanted to make Mr Usmanov contemptuous. He had no facts. That’s not journalism, that’s a disgrace,” Joachim Steinhofel, the businessman’s lawyer, told Bild.

Usmanov was known in the sports world for having served as president of FIE, the International Fencing Federation, during 14 years until 2022, when he voluntarily stepped down after the EU added him to its sanctions blacklist. 

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The controversial reports were partially based on statements made by Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze, who claimed to have lost a round of sixteen matches unfairly. The President of the Georgian Fencing Federation, Merab Bazadze, later dismissed the claims as emotional reactions and issued an official apology to the FIE.

Unlike other German media outlets, ARD refused to voluntarily withdraw the allegations and correct the record at the request of Usmanov’s lawyers. The libellous material was deleted only after the court’s ruling.