- The FBI has found evidence involving Suleiman Kerimov in US crimes.
- Authorities found documents boarding the superyacht on Thursday, according to Australia’s ABC News.
- Amadea was seized on Thursday by Fijian law enforcement at the request of US authorities.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has found evidence incriminating the owner of the superyacht, which was seized by Fiji authorities on Thursday, reports said.
Australia’s ABC News was the first to tell the story.
The United States has demanded the confiscation of Suleiman Kerimov’s $ 325 million superyacht, for which the FBI and Fiji law enforcement agencies are working together.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, the seizure order was issued against the background of evidence that the ship “Amadea” was confiscated on the basis of “probable cause” of violations of US law, money laundering and conspiracy.
The justice ministry said court documents showed Kerimov owned the ship after being identified as an employee of the Russian government.
Earlier, it was reported that the 350-foot superyacht was headed for the Fijian port of Nadi, but is now located in Lautoka, Fiji. Its owner, Kerimov, is considered Russia’s ninth-richest man with a fortune of about $ 14.5 billion, according to Forbes. He has been sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom for alleged money laundering and his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kerimov is among those who have been sanctioned for part of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. The oligarchs have been screened by the West and their assets have been seized, frozen or seized.
The US Department of Justice said in a statement on Thursday that according to court documents, Kerimov and those who acted on his behalf “caused the redirection of transactions in US dollars through US financial institutions to support and maintain Amadea.”
Insider previously reported that the cost of maintaining the superyacht could be up to 15% of its value. Ships that are not properly maintained can cause environmental problems.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement: “This decision should clarify that there is no hiding place for the property of persons who violate US law. And there is no hiding place for the property of criminals who allow the Russian regime. “
“The Ministry of Justice will be relentless in our efforts to hold accountable those who facilitate the deaths and destruction we are witnessing in Ukraine.
Western sanctions have led to the confiscation of superyachts, mansions and private jets linked to some of Russia’s richest people. Some have tried to avoid sanctions by moving their assets to friendly jurisdictions.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said: “This seizure of a yacht should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that he cannot hide – even in the most remote part of the world. We will use all means to enforce the sanctions imposed in response to the unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine. “
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