Alisher Usmanov, the sanctioned Russian billionaire, is known for his massive megayachts. His extensive and ultra-expensive art collection is just as impressive as his floating Xanadu, the $800 million Dilbar yacht. The German police got a very clear peek at the precious artworks as they confiscated 30 paintings owned by the early Facebook investor, per the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. The paintings are valued at an estimated 5 million euros ($4.9 million) and feature the work of the very illustrious Marc Chagall. Dilbar motoryacht was the delightful gallery that housed this incredible collection until they were moved into storage during the yacht’s renovation in 2021.
That the Uzbekistan-born super-rich tycoon worth $16 billion is an avid art collector is no secret, no matter how much Usmanov denies it (He still denies owning the superyacht Dilbar). The fact that illustrious artwork crops up in every place connected to Alisher Usmanov is very telling of his interest. While scouring through his idyllic Rottach-Egern am Tegernsee villa, investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office and tax investigators discovered another gallery of paintings and seized numerous art objects.
Included in these objects were four Faberge eggs locked in a safe. The eggs were fake, not the original work of Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé, but still worth tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, the newspaper also stated that investigators confiscated several boxes of art at the warehouse of a well-known freight forwarder near Hamburg Airport at the beginning of October. Luxury vessel Dilbar was undergoing refits in Hamburg when Alisher directed a Hamburg art consultant to outsource the art objects before work started on the yacht.
Apparently, the consultant was interviewed in this context, who cooperated with the authorities and handed over extensive documents and relevant information. During this period, the 500-footer belonging to Putin-ally was stormed by 60 German officials, the special commission investigators from the Federal Criminal Police Office investigating money laundering indictments against the billionaire.
German officials seized Dilbar in April –
German authorities of the Federal Criminal Police Office in the port of Hamburg captured the Dilbar superyacht owing to an investigation into the “offshore concealment” of Alisher Usmanov. At the time, Dilbar was undergoing refits at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Ever since, the significant asset of the Russian businessman has been held and can “no longer be sold, rented or encumbered,” according to a spokesman for the Federal Criminal Police Office. The crowning glory of all his assets offered 3,800 square meters of living space, a massive 100 feet swimming pool, two helipads, and a crew of 100, apart from every luxury money can buy.
