Courtroom in Fiji approves U.S. warrant to grab Russian-owned mega-yacht

Fiji's High Courtroom on Tuesday dominated that a massive Russian-owned yacht will be seized by U.S. authorities.

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

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

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

The Amadea berthed in Fiji on April 13, according to native reports and the maritime analytics website Marine Site visitors. Soon after, a federal judge authorized a warrant for the ship to be seized and on April 19, Fiji's prime prosecutor moved to prevent the ship from leaving.

The Department of Justice could not instantly 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 passed by the Home of Representatives on April 27 would permit the U.S. to promote the yacht and other properties price more than $2 million seized from Russian oligarchs to be able to fund the Ukrainian warfare effort. President Joe Biden supports the bill, which has but to move the Senate.

"We will seize their yachts, their luxury homes and other ill-begotten positive aspects," Biden stated on April 28 on the White Home.

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