On January 23, Davit Chikhelidze, whose statements are often covered by pro-government media, spread information claiming that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz owned an expensive villa in Los Angeles that no one had known about. Chikhelidze wrote that Scholz’s villa had been destroyed by fire, and the chancellor intends to file a lawsuit against the United States. The post was accompanied by a video showing a villa, with claims that Scholz himself stated that the villa was worth $90 million, and the chancellor was seeking compensation for the loss.
The claim that Olaf Scholz owned an expensive villa in Los Angeles that was destroyed by fire is false and originates from a satirical source. A representative for the chancellor denied the claim to German media. Furthermore, the building shown in the video is not Scholz’s villa but the Los Angeles Police Academy building.
Tracing the origin of the video revealed that it was initially published by a satirical TikTok account. The account description reads, “News and Political Satire,” and it posts videos about expensive properties allegedly owned by Olaf Scholz and other politicians. The video about the German chancellor is dated January 11, 2025. The same account also posted a similar video about former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, including a clarification: “Fake situation, satire.”
The German media outlet Deutsche Presse-Agentur’s (DPA) fact-checking division contacted Olaf Scholz’s spokesperson to verify claims about the chancellor’s supposed villa. In response, the spokesperson stated that Scholz does not own any real estate. Additionally, the media calculated the chancellor’s annual salary, which is over €350,000. According to DPA, this income would be insufficient to purchase a property worth €90 million.
The video circulating on social media starts with showing a building allegedly belonging to Olaf Scholz. This building can be located on the map. The building claimed to be owned by Scholz is actually the Los Angeles Police Academy building, located at 1872 Malvina Ave.
Since January 7, multiple wildfires have been raging in Los Angeles. These fires have destroyed thousands of buildings and claimed 28 lives. In parallel with the wildfires, numerous false claims and visual manipulations have circulated on social media, which have been systematically fact-checked by Myth Detector. This is also not the first time that disinformation has been spread to discredit Western leaders by alleging ownership of secret, expensive properties. Unlike the case of Olaf Scholz, many such stories lack a satirical origin.
About the Source:
Davit Chikhelidze is the chairman of the Regional Development Support Center. He was linked to the Facebook page “Facts and Choices,” created ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections to discredit the opposition and nongovernmental sector. The page is no longer available. Davit Chikhelidze frequently spreads anti-Western disinformation on social media, which has been repeatedly verified by Myth Detector.
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