Searching for a yacht in Fiji involves a Russian owner | Defender of the Great Lakes
Eusebio R. Sheffield
4 min read
news, world
Fijian authorities searching a yacht seized on behalf of the United States have found documents implicating its alleged owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in violation of US law, according to the FBI. The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the subject of a US attempt to seize it as part of US sanctions against Russia for its invasion. from Ukraine. Fijian police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a dock on Thursday, two days after a Fijian court granted a US warrant linking it to money laundering. Fiji’s High Court on Friday dismissed a stay request from the vessel’s registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to prevent US authorities from removing it from Fiji, Fiji’s prosecutor said in a statement. The $300 million (A$418 million) superyacht has been handed over to US authorities, he said. The FBI said in an affidavit attached to the US seizure warrant that Fijian authorities found documents on the Amadea showing violations of US law because Kerimov was sanctioned by the US in 2018. “There are probable reason to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit have been passing US dollar transactions for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea through US financial institutions, after a delay that Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department,” the FBI said. The ship had running costs of $25 million to $30 million, he said. Lawyers for its registered owner, the Cayman Islands company Millemarin Investments, have denied that it belongs to Kerimov. The ship’s lawyer, Feizal Haniff, declined to comment to Reuters on Friday. The United States alleges that Kerimov has beneficially owned the Amadea since August 2021, but evidence for this claim was redacted in the warrant. The FBI said the Amadea tried to avoid being seized “almost immediately” after Russian troops entered Ukraine. “Amadea disabled its Automated Information Systems (AIS) on February 24, 2022, almost immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began,” the FBI said. The ship’s documents indicated that the next destination would be the Philippines, but the FBI believed it was heading for Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok. Many Russian oligarchs have tried to move their yachts to Russia to evade US sanctions since March, the FBI said. The US Department of Justice’s KleptoCapture task force has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under pressure in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin about of the war in Ukraine. FBI Director Christopher Wray, commenting on the seizure of the Amadea in Fiji, said in a statement: “The FBI, together with our international partners, will continue to seek out individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia’s nefarious activities. and will ensure they are brought to justice no matter where or how they try to hide.” Associated Australian Press
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Fijian authorities searching a yacht seized on behalf of the United States have found documents implicating its alleged owner, Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, in violation of US law, according to the FBI.
The Amadea arrived in Fiji on April 13, after an 18-day voyage from Mexico, and has since been the subject of a US attempt to seize it as part of US sanctions against Russia for its invasion. from Ukraine.
Fijian police and FBI agents seized the Amadea at a dock on Thursday, two days after a Fijian court granted a US warrant linking it to money laundering.
Fiji’s High Court on Friday dismissed a stay request from the vessel’s registered owner, Millemarin Investments, to prevent US authorities from removing it from Fiji, Fiji’s prosecutor said in a statement.
The $300 million (A$418 million) superyacht has been handed over to US authorities, he said.
The FBI said in an affidavit attached to the US seizure warrant that Fijian authorities found documents on the Amadea showing violations of US law because Kerimov was sanctioned by the US in 2018.
“There is probable reason to believe that Kerimov and those acting on his behalf and for his benefit have arranged US dollar transactions for the operation and maintenance of the Amadea through US financial institutions. , after a period during which Kerimov was designated by the Treasury Department,” the FBI said.
The ship had running costs of $25 million to $30 million, he said.
Lawyers for its registered owner, the Cayman Islands company Millemarin Investments, have denied that it belongs to Kerimov. The ship’s lawyer, Feizal Haniff, declined to comment to Reuters on Friday.
The United States alleges that Kerimov has beneficially owned the Amadea since August 2021, but evidence for this claim was redacted in the warrant.
The FBI said the Amadea tried to avoid being seized “almost immediately” after Russian troops entered Ukraine.
“Amadea disabled its Automated Information Systems (AIS) on February 24, 2022, almost immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began,” the FBI said.
The ship’s documents indicated that the next destination would be the Philippines, but the FBI believed it was heading for Russia’s Pacific port of Vladivostok.
Many Russian oligarchs have tried to move their yachts to Russia to evade US sanctions since March, the FBI said.
The US Department of Justice’s KleptoCapture task force has focused on seizing yachts and other luxury assets to put the finances of Russian oligarchs under pressure in a bid to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin about of the war in Ukraine.
FBI Director Christopher Wray, commenting on the seizure of the Amadea in Fiji, said in a statement: “The FBI, together with our international partners, will continue to seek out individuals who contribute to the advancement of Russia’s nefarious activities. and will ensure that they are brought to justice no matter where or how they try to hide.”
Australian Associated Press
