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

Fiji's High Court on Tuesday ruled that a huge Russian-owned yacht may 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 built his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by the US, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

However an lawyer who represents Millemarin Investments, the corporate the $325 million ship is registered to, mentioned it isn't owned by Kerimov. As an alternative, he argued in court docket that company paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

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

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, based on native stories and the maritime analytics web site Marine Visitors. Quickly after, a federal choose accepted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's high prosecutor moved to prevent the ship from leaving.

The Department of Justice could not instantly be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the company announced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another 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 permit the U.S. to sell the yacht and other properties price more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with a view to fund the Ukrainian conflict effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has yet to move the Senate.

"We're going to seize their yachts, their luxurious houses and other ill-begotten positive aspects," Biden mentioned on April 28 on the White House.

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