The US Department of Justice asked the court to allow the sale of the seized “Kerimov’s yacht”. 600 thousand dollars are spent on its maintenance

US authorities have filed a petition in Manhattan District Court asking for permission to sell the superyacht Amadea, allegedly owned by Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. this . reports Bloomberg

Fiji, at the request of the United States, seized the yacht Amadea, whose value is estimated at $325 million, in April 2022. This decision was made due to the need to comply with the sanctions imposed against Suleymanov after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

The American government claims that about 600 thousand dollars are spent every month on maintaining the yacht. To date, the US authorities' expenses on the seized yacht amount to about $20 million. According to US authorities, the maintenance of the yacht should not be paid for by American taxpayers until the yacht is confiscated by a court decision.

The court's decision also determines who will have to pay for the costs of the yacht. American authorities believe that the yacht is owned by Suleiman Kerimov, whose assets are under sanctions. However, the former head of Rosneft, Eduard Khudainatov, has repeatedly stated that Amadea belongs to him. He is not under sanctions and, according to Bloomberg, has promised to reimburse all US government expenses for maintaining the yacht, provided that the Amadea is returned to him.

American authorities believe that Kerimov carried out a number of transactions to hide the ownership of the yacht. But while the trial is ongoing, the United States insists that Khudainatov pay for the costs of Amadea.

Lawyer Faizal Haniff, who represented the interests of the nominal owner of the vessel, argued that Kerimov did not own the yacht. According to him, “Amedea” is owned by “another rich Russian.”

After the start of the war, yachts and other Russians were also arrested. Thus, in Croatia, was arrested the yacht Irina VU, allegedly associated with Alisher Usmanov and his wife Irina Viner, . The yacht was later discovered in Turkey - it sailed from Croatia in violation of sanctions and despite the arrest.

Among the first yachts seized was the ship of billionaire Andrei Melnichenko, Sailing Yacht A. In March 2022, the Italian financial guard, as part of EU sanctions, seized the largest private sailing yacht in the world. Its cost is estimated at 530 million euros.

In November 2023, the Dossier center discovered two yachts allegedly used by President Vladimir Putin and his entourage. This is the 71-meter Victoria and her accompanying 38-meter Orion boat.