The US government asked a judge to allow the sale, citing the fact that maintaining a Russian superyacht worth $300 million that was seized in 2022 is costing taxpayers $600,000 a month. .
The hefty monthly fee includes $360,000 in payments to the 348-foot ship’s crew, plus $75,000 in fuel costs, waste removal and food costs, according to court documents filed by the United States in Manhattan on Friday. and other maintenance costs of $165,000. bloomberg.
The superyacht, called Amadea, reportedly belongs to Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov. He is a money laundering suspect who was sanctioned by the US in 2018 and is “one of several oligarchs who have profited from the Kremlin through corruption and its malign activities around the world, including the occupation of Crimea.” It is. ” stated the Department of Justice.
Kerimov, 57, is worth $9.1 billion, according to calculations by Bloomberg, which he built after the collapse of the Soviet Union by making big bets on Russian companies in a variety of industries, the newspaper reported.
The Amadea was seized in April 2022 in Fiji at the request of the U.S. government, but U.S. citizens will not have to pay for any costs incurred since then while a court considers whether to order the ship’s confiscation. the government said in a court filing, according to Bloomberg.
The $600,000 monthly bill is “not a small amount,” the Justice Department added.
Authorities will also pay $1.7 million in annual insurance premiums for the Amadea this month, and the ship is expected to enter dry dock for repairs in March, according to Bloomberg.
The Department of Justice will not have to pay any monthly maintenance fees while the Amadea is in dry dock, but will spend $5.6 million on repairs to the yacht.
Mr. Amadea is not the only asset targeted by the Justice Department task force. According to a report by Bloomberg, the group has seized yachts, planes and luxury real estate belonging to wealthy Russians who are under sanctions in connection with the Ukraine war.
For example, in March, U.S. investigators told a judge that two Park Avenue condominiums in Fisher Island, Florida, owned by sanctioned Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, and a Southampton property worth $75 million in They requested permission to requisition the mansion.
A year ago, Vekselberg’s $90 million, 255-foot superyacht Tango was seized in Spain at the request of the U.S. government.
By seizing the assets of wealthy Russian leaders, the United States hopes to punish them for supporting the war and influence their future actions.
According to Bloomberg, if the Amadea sale is approved, the court’s next hurdle will be identifying the actual owner of the luxury yacht.
The US claims Kerimov is the owner, but the US government has sanctioned him for sending money to US companies or making payments through the US financial system, Bloomberg reports. accused of violating the.
Eduard Khudainatov, former CEO of Russia’s state-owned oil producer Rosneft, also claimed to be Amadea’s beneficial owner.
Khudainatov is considered Vladimir Putin’s right-hand man and came into the spotlight in May 2022 after U.S. authorities identified him as the proxy owner of two superyachts seized. Amadea and the 459-foot Scheherazade, a $700 million luxury liner seized by Russia. Italy.
However, Mr. Khudainatov has not been sanctioned by the United States.
According to Bloomberg, lawyers for the unnamed oligarch said in a statement that if Amadea is returned, Mr. Khudainatov will repay the U.S. for Amadea’s upkeep, which already totals about $20 million.
Lawyers argued the seizure was “unlawful.”
The United States has rejected Khudainatov’s request, but insists it pay for the ship’s upkeep pending a decision on its confiscation, Bloomberg reported.
The government says it has the right to sell the boat unless Khudainatov pays.
