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

Fiji's High Court on Tuesday dominated that a massive Russian-owned yacht may be seized by U.S. authorities.

American and Fijian officers claim 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. 

However an lawyer who represents Millemarin Investments, the corporate the $325 million ship is registered to, said it is not owned by Kerimov. As a substitute, he argued in court docket that corporate paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former government at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil company who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov couldn't be reached for remark. The corporate intends to appeal Tuesday's determination.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in line with native experiences and the maritime analytics web site Marine Traffic. Quickly after, a federal judge permitted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's high prosecutor moved to prevent the ship from leaving.

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

On April 4, the company announced that Spanish authorities had assisted it in seizing another Russian yacht, the $90 million Tango, which was owned by Viktor Vekselberg, the proprietor of the Russian conglomerate Renova Group.

Laws handed by the House of Representatives on April 27 would allow the U.S. to promote the yacht and other properties worth greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs in order to fund the Ukrainian struggle effort. President Joe Biden helps the bill, which has yet to go the Senate.

"We're going to seize their yachts, their luxurious properties and other ill-begotten positive aspects," Biden stated on April 28 on the White Home.

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