A luxury superyacht seized from Russians in 2022 has caused so much damage to U.S. taxpayers that the government is asking a judge to allow it to be auctioned.
Amadea, a 348-foot superyacht valued at $300 million, was seized by the Department of Justice in Fiji in April 2022 after the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on the ship’s owner, Suleiman Kerimov. .
The Treasury Department sanctioned the man in 2018 on suspicion of money laundering.He is reportedly worth around $14 billion, according to NBC News.
During the nearly 22 months that the yacht was confiscated, the government spent nearly $20 million maintaining the magnificent vessel.According to reports the heartbeat of the nation, Amadea’s maintenance costs are approximately $600,000 per month. This includes $360,000 for the crew, $75,000 in monthly fuel costs, and an additional $165,000 in unnamed maintenance costs.
Including annual premiums of $1.7 million, the total estimated cost is $18.3 million and growing.
As the bills piled up, the government ultimately decided the cost of the seats was “excessive” and asked a judge to allow the superyacht to be auctioned.
“The operating costs of the Amadea are not insignificant, and there are good reasons why the government and the public should be spared from bearing these costs,” the filing said. business insider.
But another Russian oligarch may have put a knife to the Treasury’s plans. Eduard Khudainatov claims ownership of the yacht and is seeking the return of his alleged property, as he is not under sanctions from the United States.
This was announced by Khudainatov’s legal representative. bloomberg He said the seizure of the ship was “illegal” but that he was prepared to reimburse the United States for the costs of maintaining the Amadea.
However, U.S. officials say Mr. Kerimov used shell company deals to hide his ownership, when in fact he was the true “beneficiary” with control and rights to the yacht. ‘.
In addition to seizing the yacht, the U.S. Treasury Department blocked A 2022 government document states that Delaware Heritage Trust was “created in July 2017 for the purpose of holding and managing Kerimov’s U.S.-based assets.”
Kerimov is accused of using a complex series of legal entities and “front persons” to obfuscate his interest in the trust, and that the funds were “then invested in major U.S. public and private companies; It was controlled by a series of U.S. investment companies and intermediaries.”
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