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

Fiji's Excessive Courtroom on Tuesday ruled that a large Russian-owned yacht can 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 US, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

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

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

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in accordance with local reviews and the maritime analytics website Marine Visitors. Quickly after, a federal choose permitted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's prime prosecutor moved to forestall 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 handed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would allow the U.S. to sell the yacht and different properties price greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs to be able to fund the Ukrainian conflict effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has yet to pass the Senate.

"We'll seize their yachts, their luxury houses and other ill-begotten gains," Biden said on April 28 at the White Home.

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