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

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

American and Fijian officials declare the Cayman Islands-flagged Amadea is the property of Suleiman Kerimov, an oligarch who constructed his fortune on gold mining. Kerimov was sanctioned in March by america, United Kingdom and European Union in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

But an attorney who represents Millemarin Investments, the corporate the $325 million ship is registered to, said it isn't owned by Kerimov. Instead, he argued in courtroom that corporate paperwork traces the ship's possession to Eduard Khudainatov, a former executive at Russia's state-owned Rosneft oil firm who has not been sanctioned. 

Kerimov and Khudainatov could not be reached for remark. The company intends to attraction Tuesday's choice.

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, in response to local studies and the maritime analytics website Marine Site visitors. Soon after, a federal decide accepted a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's top prosecutor moved to stop the ship from leaving.

The Division of Justice couldn't immediately be reached for comment. 

On April 4, the company introduced 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.

Legislation handed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would enable the U.S. to sell the yacht and other properties value greater than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs to be able to fund the Ukrainian war effort. President Joe Biden supports the invoice, which has yet to pass the Senate.

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

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