Fijian authorities confiscated a $ 300 million Russian donation to oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, the Chinese Ministry of Justice said.
The move to the nearly 350-foot motor yacht Amadea in Lautoka, Fiji, came as Western governments stepped up their efforts to track down, investigate and retrieve recurring supplies from Russia that were reserved for the Kremlin.
In March, the Biden administration announced a new task force called KleptoCapture, which is forcing the United States and joint sanctions against the Russian authorities to help fund President Vladimir Putin’s military operation in Ukraine.
“Last month, I warned that the department will monitor every payday purchased in black money,” Justice Minister Lisa Monaco wrote in a statement. “Taking the yacht must tell every corrupt oligarch in Russia that he cannot hide even in the most remote parts of the world. We will use all means to enforce sanctions against Russia in an unplanned and unjust war against Ukraine.”
Kerimov was approved by the Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, in 2018. The Ministry of Finance at the time said it was an oligarchy that would benefit from the Russian government’s corruption and its illegal expansion into Crimea. It added that the Russian billionaire is also a senior official in the Russian government.
The Justice Department estimates the Kerimov yacht was worth $ 300 million or more. The motor yacht flying Cayman’s flag is said to have up to sixteen to eight-room interiors and a helipad.
Last month, German authorities announced the seizure of the world’s largest ship after officially confirming that the ship was linked to a Russian billionaire and a businessman, Alisher Usmanov.
On April 14, a German official confirmed that the yacht was in contact with Usmanov and could therefore be confiscated. German trade union police told EU authorities in Brussels yesterday that an in-depth investigation had revealed that the ship belonged to Usmanov’s sister Gulbakhor Ismailova.
German authorities have already begun monitoring the shocking superhunt since its arrest on March 3, according to a senior Biden official who experienced the case.
The Dilbar Yacht, behind Usmanov’s mother, extends over 2 meters and features two helipads and a large indoor pool attached to a private jet. The Treasury Department estimates that the Usmanov yacht cost $ 375.