WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says a superyacht owned by a Russian oligarch previously sanctioned for alleged money laundering has been seized by law enforcement in Fiji.
American officials say the 348-foot vessel belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician. Kerimov made a fortune investing in a Russian gold producer.
A judge in Fiji earlier in the week permitted U.S. authorities to seize the yacht Amadea but also put his order temporarily on hold while defense lawyers mounted a challenge.
The department says authorities in Fiji, acting at the request of the United States, have now served a search warrant, freezing the yacht. It had earlier been prevented from leaving the South Pacific nation.
“This yacht seizure should tell every corrupt Russian oligarch that they cannot hide – not even in the remotest part of the world," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. "We will use every means of enforcing the sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine.”