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

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

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

However an attorney who represents Millemarin Investments, the corporate the $325 million ship is registered to, stated it isn't owned by Kerimov. As an alternative, he argued in court docket that company paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil firm 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, in line with local reviews and the maritime analytics web site Marine Traffic. Soon after, a federal choose authorised a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's high prosecutor moved to forestall the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice could not immediately be reached for remark. 

On April 4, the company introduced 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.

Laws handed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would permit the U.S. to sell the yacht and different properties value greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with a view to fund the Ukrainian struggle effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has but to pass the Senate.

"We'll seize their yachts, their luxurious properties and other ill-begotten good points," Biden stated on April 28 at the White Home.

Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering prison justice, privacy issues and data security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com