Fiji court rules Russian yacht to stay in South Pacific nation for now
A Fiji court has ruled that the $300 million yacht allegedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov and seized by the United States must remain in Fiji for now.
The Fiji Court of Appeal has ruled that the luxury yacht Amadea can not be moved out of the South Pacific island nation until an appeal against the seizure is heard, defence lawyer Feizal Haniff, who is acting for the Amadea's registered owner Millemarin Investment Ltd, confirmed in an email.
The U.S. embassy in Suva did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest court ruling.
A Fiji court had ruled that the United States could seize the Russian-owned superyacht, weeks after it arrived and it was seized by the local police and FBI agents on Thursday.
Authorities in various countries have seized luxury vessels and villas owned by Russian billionaires in response to sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a special military operation.
Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine. He has also been sanctioned by the European Union.
Lawyers for Millemarin Investment Ltd previously told the court that Amadea was owned by another Russian oligarch, Eduard Khudainatov, the former chief of Russian energy giant Rosneft (ROSN.MM), who has not been sanctioned, media reported.Overnight a luxury yacht reportedly owned by Khudainatov worth some $700 million was impounded by police in Italy.
The U.S. embassy in Suva did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest court ruling.
A Fiji court had ruled that the United States could seize the Russian-owned superyacht, weeks after it arrived and it was seized by the local police and FBI agents on Thursday.
Authorities in various countries have seized luxury vessels and villas owned by Russian billionaires in response to sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a special military operation.
Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2014 and 2018 in response to Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine. He has also been sanctioned by the European Union.
Lawyers for Millemarin Investment Ltd previously told the court that Amadea was owned by another Russian oligarch, Eduard Khudainatov, the former chief of Russian energy giant Rosneft (ROSN.MM), who has not been sanctioned, media reported.Overnight a luxury yacht reportedly owned by Khudainatov worth some $700 million was impounded by police in Italy.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
