HWhen Fiji asked Fiji to seize oligarch Suleiman Kerimo's luxury yacht in 2022, the US Department of Justice was no help. The Russian billionaire, whose fortune is estimated at nearly 10 billion euros, has been on the US sanctions list since 2018 because Putin's friend allegedly benefited from the corruption of the Russian regime and the invasion of Ukraine.
The 106-meter-long Amadea (cost 210 million euros) was built in San Diego, California. The US government must ensure that it is in good condition, otherwise it will lose value.
The Public Prosecution Service receives a large bill every month. Crew 330,000 euros per month, insurance 132,000 euros, maintenance 150,000 euros per month and energy costs 68,000 euros. In addition, the Department of Justice must pay 178,000 euros in port fees every month. Total monthly expenses: 840,000 euros. In total, the ship has already saved US taxpayers nearly 20 million euros since its seizure.
So Justice wants to sell the speedboat as soon as possible, but it's not that easy. The case related to the seizure of the vessel is still pending. Another Russian oligarch, Eduard Kudaynatov, claims in a US court that he owns Amadea, not Kerimov.
Kudaynatov was chairman of Russian state oil company Rosneft from 2010 to 2013. Although he is considered not entirely 'new' (Kudainatov is also said to be on good terms with Russian President Putin), he is not on the international sanctions list. So if the superyacht is really his, the Americans have no right to lose it and sell it for their own profit.
Straw man
The Americans did not believe that Kudaynatov was the real owner. He would only act as Kerimo's henchman to keep the ship out of the hands of the US government. The US attorney has also provided evidence to the court. For example, according to the Americans, Amadiya never took a trip without Kerimov or members of his family, and Kerimov personally ordered several interior improvements, such as a pizza oven and a wellness area.
If Kerimov is indeed the owner, he has managed to hide this well with corporate structures that are difficult to unravel. For example, this yacht was registered as Millemarin Investments until 2021 and was sold that year to a newly established company, Errigan Marine, for unclear reasons. Kudaynatov has offered to reimburse the Americans for maintenance costs incurred so far, on the condition that they recognize the Americans as owners. The Justice Department rejected that offer. As long as the case is in court, the bill for Americans will continue to rise.
Since the beginning of 2022, Western authorities have seized about twenty (super)yachts belonging to wealthy Russians on the sanctions list. Most of them are chained in Europe. In addition, approximately thirty boats are subject to similar sanctions, but are still 'at large' because they are hidden in ports of countries not participating in the sanctions. According to Forbes magazine As of April 2023, Western countries have seized Russian assets worth €8 billion, including eleven private jets and 124 country houses, luxury apartments and villas.
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