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Reuters

A Fiji court ruled on Tuesday that the United States can seize a Russian-owned superyacht, 21 days after it arrived and was impounded by police, as Washington and its allies press Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
US authorities assert that the luxury vessel, the Amadea, is ultimately owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned by the Washington and the European Union.
The US Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under strain in a bid to pressure President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
Fiji’s High Court granted the order to seize the Amadea, Fiji’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions said in a statement.
Indonesian women stand by their Ukrainian husbands despite constant Russian attacks
The order was made after the DPP applied to register a US warrant to seize the yacht, it said.
The vessel’s lawyers, the Haniff Tuitoga law firm, did not respond to a request for comment but media reported that lawyers for the Amadea said they would seek an interim stay to stop the vessel being towed away.
The Amadea arrived in Fiji last month after an 18-day voyage across the Pacific from Mexico.
It was detained by Fiji police and its captain questioned on why it had arrived in Fiji waters without customs clearance.

Fiji’s High Court last month granted a restraining order stopping the Amadea from leaving Fiji until the court had considered the US seizure warrant.
Fiji authorities said they are acting on the US request under Fiji’s Mutual Assistance Criminal Matters Act.
Lawyers for the 350-foot motor yacht’s registered owner, Millemarin Investments, have denied it is ultimately owned by Kerimov.
They told the court it was owned by another Russian oligarch, Eduard Khudainatov, the former president of oil giant Rosneft, who has not been sanctioned, media reported.
Fiji authorities had argued that the court did not need to determine ownership of the vessel, only that it was subject to a US warrant in a money-laundering case.


The US sanctioned Kerimov, a former Russian politician who made his fortune in gold, in 2018 and 2014 in response to Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine.
The US embassy in Suva did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court ruling.
In a separate task force KleptoCapture case linked to the Pacific, the 255-foot superyacht Tango, alleged to belong to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, was impounded by Spanish police on behalf of US authorities in April.
Tango is flagged in the Pacific island nation of the Cook Islands, which said it assisted in the investigation.
A spokesman for the Cook Islands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration said the Cook Islands provided information that allowed investigators to connect the ship with its owner.


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Fiji court rules US can seize Russian superyacht Amadea

The superyacht Amadea is docked at the Queens Wharf in Lautoka, Fiji. Photo: Fiji Sun via AP

The superyacht Amadea has been stopped from leaving Fiji because of its links to Russia. Photo: Fiji Sun via AP

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A woman harvests wheat on the outskirts of Jammu, India on Thursday. Photo: AP

A farmer carries wheat crop after harvested on the outskirts of Jammu, India on Thursday. Photo: AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands in New Delhi, India in October 2018. Photo: Pool via AP

An Indian farmer carries wheat crop harvested from a field on the outskirts of Jammu, India on Thursday. Photo: AP

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Maya, an Indonesian women, has dinner with her husband and son in Odesa. She is among a growing list of Indonesians staying in Ukraine despite Russia’s invasion of the country. Photo: Maya

Maya is an Indonesia woman living in Ukraine with her husband and son. 

Maya is an Indonesian women living in Odesa with her husband and son. She is refusing to leave Ukraine, despite Russia’s invasion of the county. Photo: Maya

Maya is an Indonesian women who lives in Odesa with her husband and son. Photo: Maya

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The 350-foot vessel reportedly belonging to sanctioned oligarch Suleiman Kerimov arrived in Fiji last month from Mexico
The US has focused on confiscating yachts to put the finances of Russian tycoons under strain in a bid to pressure President Putin over the war in Ukraine


The 350-foot vessel reportedly belonging to sanctioned oligarch Suleiman Kerimov arrived in Fiji last month from Mexico.
