The latest seizure of a Russian Oligarch's megayacht happened in Fiji, where the authorities turned the vessel over to the U.S.
The luxury yacht Amadea allegedly belonging to sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov was seized in Fiji on May 3, according to a «Bloomberg» (behind paywall) story on Friday.
Fiji's high court declined an application for a temporary stay of the seizure order on Friday, the day after the yacht was turned over to U.S. authorities. The yacht arrived in Fiji on April 12, and a week later a judge ordered authorities to prevent is leaving Fijian waters.
No Place to Hide
«This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide -- not even in the remotest part of the world,» said U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Kerimov was placed on the U.S. sanctions list in 2018, and the U.S. Department of Justice said he purchased the yacht in 2021. At issue is that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf paid for the support and maintenance of the yacht with U.S. dollar transactions routed through American financial institutions, which violated sanctions, according to the warrant, the story said.
Both the U.K. and EU sanctioned Kerimov, said to be worth nearly $16 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, on March 15.
Ownership Dispute
During court proceedings, the legal counsel for Millemarin Investments, the registered owner of Amadea, said Kerimov is not the owner. Local media reported the counsel said the yacht instead belongs to Eduard Khudainatov, former Rosneft Chairman and CEO, who does not appear to be on the sanctions list, «Bloomberg» said.
To see the latest positions for yachts affected by sanctions, including the Amadea, click here.
