By admin 
MOSCOW – German prosecutors in Frankfurt have dropped a money laundering investigation against Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov but are demanding he pay 4 million euros ($4.36 million) split between charities and the state, they said Monday .
The decision took into account the fact that the alleged crimes did not cause any financial loss to the German state and that they were some time old, the Public Prosecution Service said in a statement to Reuters.
Once the requirements are met, the proceedings will be closed, the statement said, adding that the outcome does not imply guilt.
“We have always insisted on our client’s innocence,” Wannemacher & Partner lawyers Uwe Lehmbruck and Markus Gotzens said in a statement, calling it an important step toward protecting the reputation of 71-year-old Usmanov .
Usmanov, who has a total net worth of $14.4 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index, made his fortune in mining, manufacturing, telecoms and media.
His lawyers said that after more than two and a half years, the investigation had failed to prove key allegations against him, including money laundering. REUTERS