A Russian superyacht docked in Fiji for more than five weeks is set to be seized by the United States, with the latest legal hurdle to prevent the move now cleared.
Fiji's Court of Appeal today dismissed an appeal intended to prevent Russian superyacht the Amadea from being seized by the United States.
Today's decision means the US law enforcement officials on the ground in Fiji will soon be free to sail with the $450 million superyacht to American seas where it will be subject to forfeiture proceedings.
This is unless the decision is challenged in the country's Supreme Court.
It is believed sanctioned Russian oligarch Sulieman Kerimov owns the Amadea and this seizure is part of a global effort to strip President Vladimir Putin's allies of their assets over the war in Ukraine.
On paper, however, the 106-metre luxury vessel belongs to an investment firm registered in the Cayman Islands.
Lawyers for that firm argued ownership of the Amadea needed to be proven in Fijian courts before the United States could seize the asset, but Fiji's public prosecutor maintained that test should be done in the American justice system and there was precedent for registering and executing foreign warrants.
Feizal Haniff, who represents the investment firm, said he now plans to take the case to Fiji's Supreme Court and will apply for a court order to stop US agents sailing the Amadea from Fiji before the appeal is heard.
"The Court of Appeal, while upholding the High Court order, has also directed that the judgement is not to take effect in regard to its implementation and or its consequential impact until seven days from notice of it to the parties," an official statement said today.
Hence, it is possible that the appeal in the Supreme Court is filed within the seven-day time frame.
"The United States is committed to finding and seizing the assets of the oligarchs who have supported the Russian Federation's brutal, unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine," the embassy said in a statement in April.
"We and several of our EU partners have already frozen or seized many assets of these oligarchs.
"We are working closely with governments and private sector partners in Europe, and the entire world, including Fiji, on this issue."
Mr Kerimov was sanctioned by the United States in 2018 and 2014 in response to Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine.
The Amadea arrived at Lautoka port in mid-April. While the legal proceedings around it have dragged on, the Fijian government has been covering the vessel's maintenance costs, which have been estimated at more than $FJ1 million ($653,000) a week.
ABC/wires
