WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)-The United States won the latest round of legal battle on Friday over the hijacking of a Russian-owned superyacht in Fiji worth $ 325 million, and is in the Supreme Court of the Pacific that is the case.
Case Outlined Thorny Legal Basis The United States realizes when it tries to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs around the world. These intentions were welcomed by many governments and citizens opposed to the war in Ukraine, but some actions raised questions about the extent of U.S. jurisdiction.
On Friday, the Fiji Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit filed by Faisal Hanif, a company legally owned by the superyacht Amadea. Hanif argued that the United States has no jurisdiction to impound the ship under Fiji’s mutual assistance laws, even until a court determines who owns Amadea.
Hanif said he intends to take the case to Fiji’s Supreme Court and is appealing the court’s order to stop U.S. agents from swimming in Amadea before the appeal is heard.
As part of its decision, the Court of Appeals ruled that its decision would not take effect for seven days, which could provide time for any appeal.
The United States said its investigation had proven that the luxury yacht under the Cayman Islands flag in various fields was actually owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, a Russian economist and former politician.
Kerimov acquired the property by investing in Russian gold maker Polyus, Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $ 16 billion. He was first punished by the United States in 2018 after he was arrested in France and charged with money laundering, sometimes coming in with suitcases full of 20 million euros.
The FBI contacted the Amadeus Kerimov family about the alleged use of codenames on the ship and to purchase items such as pizza ovens and spa beds. The ship became the target of the KleptoCapture Task Force, which launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to force Russia to end the war.
The 106-meter (348-foot) long ship, nearly a football field in length, has a live lobster tank, hand-painted piano, swimming pool, and large helicopter pad.
Hanif, representing the owner of the Millemarin Investments card, said the owner was another wealthy Russian who had not been threatened with sanctions, Eduard Khudainatov. He is the former president and CEO of Rosneft, a Russian state -controlled oil and gas company.
The United States acknowledged that the documents apparently belonged to Khudainatov, but they also claimed they were the owner of the second and larger super-card, the Sheherazade paper, linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the US, it is being asked whether Khudainatov can buy two superyachts for a total cost of more than 1 billion dollars.
“The fact that Khudainatov is known as the owner of the two largest superyachts, both associated with individual sanctions, suggests that Khudainatov was used as a clean, unauthorized owner of straw to hide from the real beneficiary, ”the FBI said. Written in a court statement.
The U.S. says Kerimov secretly bought Amadea last year through a shell company. The FBI said a search warrant for Fiji found an email showing that Kerimov’s children were on board this year and the crew were using code names: G0 for Kerimov, G1 for his wife , G2 for his daughter and others.
The FBI said the crew was considering a possible “upcoming trip for G0 guests” and said they wanted the fastest jet ski available, so they had to buy new jet skis.
In his speech, Hanif said the US case was based on rumors and gossip spread by unknown crew and there was no evidence that Khudainatov could not have invested in the two superpowers.
The yacht remains at Lautoka Harbor, in the heart of Fiji’s pipeline region.
Source: Huffpost
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.