Court in Fiji approves U.S. warrant to seize Russian-owned mega-yacht

Fiji's High Court on Tuesday ruled that a large Russian-owned yacht will be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officials declare the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who constructed his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by the USA, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

However an legal professional who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, stated it isn't owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in court docket that corporate paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former govt at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov couldn't be reached for remark. The company intends to enchantment Tuesday's determination.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, based on local studies and the maritime analytics web site Marine Visitors. Soon after, a federal choose authorised a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's prime prosecutor moved to forestall the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice could not instantly be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the company announced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing one other Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the proprietor of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Legislation handed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would permit the U.S. to promote the yacht and other properties worth greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs to be able to fund the Ukrainian warfare effort. President Joe Biden supports the bill, which has but to move the Senate.

"We'll seize their yachts, their luxurious homes and different ill-begotten beneficial properties," Biden mentioned on April 28 at the White Home.

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter masking prison justice, privateness issues and knowledge security for CBS Information Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com