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

Fiji's High Courtroom on Tuesday ruled that a massive Russian-owned yacht could 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. As a substitute, he argued in court that company paperwork traces the ship's ownership to Eduard Khudainatov, a former government at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

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

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, according to native reports and the maritime analytics web site Marine Site visitors. Quickly after, a federal judge authorised a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's high prosecutor moved to stop the ship from leaving.

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

On April 4, the agency 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 sell the yacht and other properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with the intention to fund the Ukrainian battle effort. President Joe Biden supports the bill, which has yet to pass the Senate.

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

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