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

Fiji's Excessive Court on Tuesday ruled that a massive Russian-owned yacht could be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officials 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. 

But an attorney who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, mentioned it is not owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in court docket that corporate paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former govt at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil firm who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov could not be reached for remark. The company intends to appeal Tuesday's determination.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, based on local reviews and the maritime analytics web site Marine Site visitors. Quickly after, a federal judge permitted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to forestall the ship from leaving.

The Department of Justice couldn't immediately be reached for comment. 

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 owner of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Laws passed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would enable the U.S. to sell the yacht and different properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs in order to fund the Ukrainian warfare effort. President Joe Biden supports the bill, which has but to move the Senate.

"We will seize their yachts, their luxurious homes and different ill-begotten good points," Biden mentioned on April 28 at the White House.

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