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

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

American and Fijian officers claim 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, said it isn't owned by Kerimov. As a substitute, he argued in court docket that corporate paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov could not be reached for comment. The corporate intends to appeal Tuesday's choice.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, according to local reports and the maritime analytics web site Marine Traffic. Quickly after, a federal decide authorized a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to stop the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice could not immediately be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the company announced 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.

Legislation passed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would permit the U.S. to promote the yacht and different properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with a view to fund the Ukrainian warfare effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has but to move the Senate.

"We'll seize their yachts, their luxury houses and different ill-begotten positive aspects," Biden mentioned on April 28 at the White House.

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