WORLD
Russia's richest man pays $4.1 MILLION to return Nobel Prize to owner
Baku, December, AZERTAC
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov confirmed Tuesday that he plans to return the Nobel Prize he bought at auction for $4.1 million (€3.3 million) to its rightful owner, American geneticist Dr James D. Watson.
Speaking on the subject, Russia's richest man said an "outstanding scientist" forced to "sell a medal recognizing his achievements is unacceptable," adding the prize must "stay with the person who deserved it."
Watson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962 for co-discovering the structure of DNA. However, following comments he made in a Sunday Times interview in 2007 regarding intelligence in Africa, the geneticist was widely criticized as racist and became ostracized from the scientific community. Watson claims the financial impact this had on his life forced him to put the medal up for auction on December 4.
Usmanov is worth $16.1 billion (€13 billion) according to Forbes Magazine's real time net worth calculator, making him the 49th richest person in the world today.