Wellington, New Zealand (AP) – A Fijian judge has ruled that U.S. authorities can seize a Russian -owned superyacht – but he suspended his order until at least Friday, before he was challenged by lawyers. of defense.
The Amadea yacht – valued at $ 325 million – had previously been suspended from leaving the country in the South Pacific due to ties to Russia. This order will take effect today, preventing U.S. authorities from bringing the yacht to Hawaii or elsewhere.
The question remains which of the two Russian oligarchs actually owns Amadea, only one of whom has been threatened with sanctions. There are also questions about the extent of U.S. jurisdiction over Fiji.
Suva Dipti Amaratunga Supreme Court Justice on Tuesday issued an order allowing the United States to seize the superyacht after the United States filed a warrant. But the judge also gave a break before lawyers drafted the appeal.
The judge’s next decision in the case will be made on Friday when he decides whether to continue the suspension on the yacht hijacking while awaiting a formal appeal from the defense.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in March that it would create a team of federal agents and prosecutors to prosecute wealthy Russians or those who helped Russia invade Ukraine. The group called KleptoCapture Working GroupIt was founded to seize assets owned by oligarchs to force Russia to end the war.
The United States claims that the real owner of the Amadeus Superyacht is Suleiman Kerimov. The US economist and former Russian politician was punished by the US in 2018 for alleged money laundering and threatened with additional sanctions from Canada, Europe, Britain and other countries since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kerimov acquired the property by investing in Russian gold maker Polyus, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $ 14.5 billion.
But lawyers say the real owner is Eduard Khudainatov, the former president and CEO of Rosneft, a Russian state-controlled oil and gas company. Khudainatov appears not to be subject to sanctions so far, unlike many oligarchs and people closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin who have imposed sanctions since the war began.
Like many superyachts, Amadea’s real estate ownership is difficult to determine because of the dark path of trusts and shell companies. On paper the superyacht is registered in the Cayman Islands and owned by Millemarin Investments Ltd., which is also located in the Cayman Islands.
Lawyers in court told Millemarin Investments Ltd. is the legal owner of the ship and the company is associated with the actual or actual owner Khudainatov. But U.S. authorities have argued that behind all the different fields, the real owner is Kerimov.
On April 19, after a yacht flew from Mexico to Fiji, the Suva High Court ruled that Amadea should not leave Fiji until the basis for a U.S. seizure order had been established Perhaps in response to an issue. in possession, the court then ordered Fijian prosecutors to amend the original citation, in which only Kerimov was named, to also add Millemarin Investments Ltd. As the second defendant in the case.
So far, the yacht continues to arrive at the port of Fiji with about 25 crew boarding and disembarking from the ship, while a policeman remains on board to make sure he stays.
According to Boat International, the Amadea is 106 meters long and was built in 2017. It features a stainless steel albatross detachable from a bow and weighs more than 5 tons, a live lobster tank at Gale, a 10 meter (33 meters ) and pool. feet), a hand -painted Pleyel piano and a large helicopter pad.
The U.S. Embassy in Suva had previously stated in a statement that the U.S. was working with allies and partners around the world to impose costs on Russia for its “election war”.
“We continue to pressure Putin’s oligarchs and work with allies and partners to gain corrupt benefits from those closest to Putin, wherever they are in the world,” the embassy said in a statement.
Source: Huffpost
