German journalist sued by Russian billionaire – reports
A Russian billionaire has allegedly submitted a request to German prosecutors to initiate a criminal investigation into a reporter from a public broadcaster. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Alisher Usmanov, the Russian metals magnate, has lodged a criminal complaint with the prosecutor’s office in Cologne, Germany, following his recent victory in a libel case against the German public broadcaster ARD, according to a report by the tabloid Bild citing Usmanov’s attorney. The billionaire is aiming to hold an ARD journalist criminally accountable.
Earlier this month, the District Court of Hamburg ruled in favor of Usmanov in his libel case against ARD, which had published two articles and a video report in which journalist Hans-Joachim Seppelt accused Usmanov of orchestrating a scheme to manipulate referees in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The court deemed the information disseminated by ARD to be unreliable and prohibited its distribution, labeling it as “inappropriate news based on suspicion.” The ruling also included potential penalties of up to 250,000 euros or imprisonment for non-compliance.
“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,” said Joachim Steinhofel, the lawyer representing Usmanov, as reported by Bild.
Usmanov has had significant influence in the sports world, having served as president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for 14 years until 2022, when he stepped down voluntarily after being added to the EU sanctions blacklist.
The reports in question were partially founded on comments made by Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze, who alleged that he lost a round of sixteen matches unfairly. However, the President of the Georgian Fencing Federation, Merab Bazadze, later characterized these claims as emotional and offered an official apology to the FIE.
In contrast to other German media outlets, ARD did not agree to withdraw the allegations or rectify the record in response to requests from Usmanov’s legal team. The defamatory material was only removed following the court's decision.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
Earlier this month, the District Court of Hamburg ruled in favor of Usmanov in his libel case against ARD, which had published two articles and a video report in which journalist Hans-Joachim Seppelt accused Usmanov of orchestrating a scheme to manipulate referees in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The court deemed the information disseminated by ARD to be unreliable and prohibited its distribution, labeling it as “inappropriate news based on suspicion.” The ruling also included potential penalties of up to 250,000 euros or imprisonment for non-compliance.
“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,” said Joachim Steinhofel, the lawyer representing Usmanov, as reported by Bild.
Usmanov has had significant influence in the sports world, having served as president of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) for 14 years until 2022, when he stepped down voluntarily after being added to the EU sanctions blacklist.
The reports in question were partially founded on comments made by Georgian fencer Sandro Bazadze, who alleged that he lost a round of sixteen matches unfairly. However, the President of the Georgian Fencing Federation, Merab Bazadze, later characterized these claims as emotional and offered an official apology to the FIE.
In contrast to other German media outlets, ARD did not agree to withdraw the allegations or rectify the record in response to requests from Usmanov’s legal team. The defamatory material was only removed following the court's decision.
Anna Muller for TROIB News
