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

Fiji's Excessive Court on Tuesday ruled that a large Russian-owned yacht may be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officers declare 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 United States, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

But an lawyer who represents Millemarin Investments, the company the $325 million ship is registered to, mentioned it is not 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 couldn't be reached for comment. The corporate intends to appeal Tuesday's choice.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in line with native reports and the maritime analytics web site Marine Traffic. Soon after, a federal choose approved a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to prevent the ship from leaving.

The Department of Justice could not 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 enable the U.S. to sell the yacht and different properties worth more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs with a view to fund the Ukrainian war effort. President Joe Biden helps the invoice, which has yet to go the Senate.

"We will seize their yachts, their luxurious homes and different ill-begotten beneficial properties," Biden said on April 28 at the White Home.

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