Russian oligarch’s yacht seized in Fiji on US request
- US Justice Department said Fijian authorities have served a search warrant freezing the yacht, which earlier was prevented from leaving the South Pacific nation
- American officials say the 348-foot vessel belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician who was sanctioned by the US in 2018
A superyacht that American authorities say is owned by a Russian oligarch previously sanctioned for alleged money laundering has been seized by law enforcement in Fiji, the US Justice Department announced on Thursday.
A judge in Fiji earlier in the week permitted US authorities to seize the yacht Amadea – worth US$325 million – but also put his order temporarily on hold while defence lawyers mounted a challenge.
The Justice Department said authorities in Fiji, acting at the request of the United States, have now served a search warrant freezing the yacht, which had earlier been prevented from leaving the South Pacific nation.
American officials say the 348-foot vessel belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician who was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2018 and has faced further censure from Canada, Europe, Britain and other nations after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Kerimov made a fortune investing in Russian gold producer Polyus, with Forbes magazine putting his net worth at US$14.5 billion.
Defence lawyers had claimed the yacht actually belonged to another Russian oligarch.
In an application in support of the search warrant, an FBI agent wrote that there was probable cause to believe that Kerimov had owned the Amadea since 2021.