The Secrets of Britain's Richest Man, Arsenal's Uzbek Tycoon Alisher Usmanov

Uzbekistan-born Alisher Usmanov was revealed as the richest person in the UK on Sunday 21 April, with a £13.3 billion fortune.

But how did he come to own assets worth more than the GDP of Lithuania and Kenya?

After first entering the Sunday Times rich list five years ago, he is perhaps best known in the UK for his 30 percent stake in Arsenal FC, where he is kept off the club's board by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, an American, much to his reported ire.

He started his business career manufacturing plastic bags, but his empire now extends from huge stakes in Metalloinvest, Russia's largest iron ore company, to mail.ru, its largest internet company, as well as significant shareholdings in MegaFon, the second largest mobile telephone operator.

He also has substantial US Silicon Valley investments, including shares in Groupon, Twitter and Facebook. He made £1.6bn from the sale of Facebook shares after last year's stock market listing.

However, controversy has also dogged Usmanov.

The Times uncovered that Finsbury, a PR firm hired by Usmanov to manage his reputation, had erased references on his Wikipedia page to a conviction for corruption during the Soviet era, which was overturned after he spent six years in jail.

He studied at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations, known for producing diplomats and spies.

Usmanov is the owner of Sutton Place, the Tudor mansion set in 300 acres of Surrey countryside that once belonged to oil tycoon John Paul Getty, as well as a £48 million home in north London.

His wife, Irina Viner, 64, is the head coach of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team. They met when he was fencing as a young man for the Uzbek Republic team.

Usmanov donated £110m to charity over the past year, and is on the board of trustees at the Bolshoi Theatre and president of the International Fencing Federation.