The Seized Amadea: Inside the $230 Million Superyacht Owned by Russian Oligarch Suleiman Kerimov

2024-03-07 22:31:33

The Amadea is a US$230 million superyacht that was seized in April 2022 by Fiji authorities at the request of the United States Department of Justice. Because? It belongs to the Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov and was the first months of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At that time, the US was retaliating once morest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies and going following his assets.

Today the luxury yacht is docked in San Diego, California, costing U.S. taxpayers nearly a million dollars a month to maintain. In total, expenses have exceeded $20 million since she was seized, according to court documents published by the American press.

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Amadea’s monthly expenses include $600,000 for its operation: $360,000 for crew, $75,000 for fuel, and $165,000 for maintenance, waste disposal, food and other expenses. There is also a monthly expense of $144,000 in insurance and special charges.

A photo taken on April 13, 2022 shows the superyacht Amadea at Queens Wharf in Lautoka, Fiji. (Photo by Leon LORD / FIJI SUN / AFP).

Due to these high costs, federal prosecutors have asked a judge for permission to sell the ship, reported CNN.

“It is excessive for taxpayers to pay nearly $1 million a month to maintain the Amadea when these expenses might be reduced to zero through the sale,” prosecutors wrote in a filing earlier this month.

The superyacht Amadea docked in Fiji. (AFP).

Legal dispute

But can this seized yacht be legally sold? According to CNN, Eduard Khudainatov and Millemarin Investments have come forward to claim ownership of the superyacht. They oppose the sale and said the judge should not allow it until their motion to dismiss the civil forfeiture lawsuit is decided.

According to the American network CNBC, although the United States alleged that the yacht is owned by Suleiman Kerimov, lawyers for Eduard Khudainatov, former general director of the Russian state company Rosneft, stated that he is the owner and have attempted to recover the vessel.

“They have offered to reimburse the Government for the costs it has incurred in maintaining the Amadea in exchange for its return. That offer remains. Maintaining the Amadea is certainly expensive, and the plaintiffs never intended for American taxpayers to shoulder that burden. But the wrong decision to confiscate it was made by the Government, knowing the costs it would entail for American taxpayers,” according to court documents.

A photograph taken on January 16, 2012 shows powerful Russian oil and metals magnate, billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, watching a soccer match. (Photo by SERGEI RASULOV JR. / NEWSTEAM / AFP).

Who is Suleiman Kerimov?

Suleiman Kerimov is a Russian businessman who is part of Putin’s inner circle.

According to BBC Mundo, from humble origins, Kerimov went from being an economist in the Soviet era to being one of the richest oligarchs with the best contacts with the highest levels of power in Russia.

He made his fortune buying assets in the energy sector and important stakes in Russian banks following the fall of the Soviet Union, BBC Mundo indicates. He made $21 billion by investing in gas giant Gazprom and Sberbank, Russia’s largest state bank.

According to information published by the BBC in 2022, Kerimov has used a scheme to hide his wealth and properties.

The documents accessed by the British media revealed how a Swiss tattoo artist became the front man of a company that transferred more than US$300 million to companies linked to Suleiman Kerimov.

They also show how US$700 million in transactions, as well as luxury properties, went unnoticed.

On July 26, 2020, Forbes magazine

reported that Suleiman Kerimov’s net worth was $21.3 billion.

In addition, Swiss accountant Alexander Studhalter posed as the owner of properties that actually belonged to Kerimov.

Kerimov was the secret owner of several of them on the French Riviera and in London, including the most expensive semi-detached house ever sold in the United Kingdom, according to the Pandora Russia Papers project, run by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). for its acronym in English) and broadcast by the BBC.

The BBC also highlighted that Suleiman Kerimov appeared in February 2022 along with twelve other billionaires accompanying President Putin. In those days Russian tanks crossed into Ukraine.

Since 2018, he has been subject to sanctions by the United States “for being an official of the government of the Russian Federation” and a member of the upper and lower houses of Parliament.

On March 15, 2022, he was sanctioned by the United Kingdom government, as well as by the European Union, which defined him as “a member of the circle of oligarchs” close to Putin.

A photo taken on April 13, 2022 shows the superyacht Amadea in Fiji. (AFP).

What is the Amadea like?

The Amadea is a 106-meter-long superyacht that has a helipad in the bow, a mosaic-decorated swimming pool in the stern, a winter garden and a cinema room on one of the decks. The width of the boat is 18 meters.

It was built by the German shipyard Lurssen and delivered in 2017.

The yacht requires a crew of 36 to operate and can accommodate 16 guests accommodated in 8 luxury cabins.

It is one of the largest yachts in the world, with a displacement of 4,402 tons.

The yacht can reach a maximum speed of 20 knots and maintains a cruising speed of 14 knots.

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