German prosecutors drop probe against Russian-Uzbek billionaire Usmanov

MOSCOW (Reuters) -German prosecutors in Frankfurt have dropped a money-laundering investigation against Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov but require him to pay 4 million euros ($4.36 million) split between charities and the state, they said on Monday.

The decision took into account the fact that the alleged offences did not cause any financial loss to the German state and that they dated back some time, the prosecutor's office 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 any guilt.

"We have always insisted on the innocence of our client," Wannemacher & Partner lawyers Uwe Lehmbruck and Markus Gotzens said in a statement, calling it an important step towards protecting the reputation of Usmanov, 71.

Usmanov, who according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index has a total net worth of $14.4 billion, made his fortune in mining, industry, telecoms and media.

His lawyers said that after more than two-and-a-half years, the investigation had failed to prove the main accusations against him, including that of money laundering.

($1 = 0.9170 euros)

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow and Miranda Murray in Berlin, writing by Rachel More, editing by Mark Trevelyan and Angus MacSwan)

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