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

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

American and Fijian officials claim the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who constructed 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 lawyer who represents Millemarin Investments, the corporate the $325 million ship is registered to, stated it is not owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in court docket that company paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former government at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil firm who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov couldn't be reached for remark. The corporate intends to attraction Tuesday's determination.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in line with local stories and the maritime analytics web site Marine Visitors. Soon after, a federal judge accredited a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's prime prosecutor moved to stop the ship from leaving.

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

On April 4, the agency introduced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the proprietor of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Legislation passed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would permit the U.S. to promote the yacht and different properties price greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs so as to fund the Ukrainian battle effort. President Joe Biden supports the invoice, which has yet to pass the Senate.

"We will seize their yachts, their luxurious homes and other 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 knowledge security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com