The Italian government on Friday ordered the confiscation of a yacht worth regarding $700 million, which the media attributed to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The luxury six-storey yacht Scheherazade has been undergoing repairs in the Italian port of Marina di Carrara since September, but recent quayside activity suggests the crew may be preparing to set sail.
Crew members were spotted lifting a tarpaulin from the deck and conducting inspections, prompting speculation among locals that the ship might soon leave berth, according to the British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph.
Italy’s finance ministry said in a statement that investigations showed the boat owner had links with “prominent elements of the Russian government” and people targeted by European Union sanctions.
And the “Scheherazade”, which is 460 feet long, is docked some time ago in Italy. And the media had said in previous reports that the Italian authorities were investigating the ownership of the yacht, as one of the former crew members working on the yacht indicated that Putin was using it.
The media described the interior of the ship as being equipped with a spa, swimming pools, two helipads, a wood-burning fireplace and a pool table specially designed to reduce the impact of the waves.
The sources did not reveal to the newspaper, whether Putin was using the yacht? Or how often do you use it?
US officials said that Putin kept a little of his wealth in his name, as he usually uses homes and boats owned by those close to him, and it is possible that the “Scheherazade” yacht is under Putin’s direct control through front companies, according to the sources.
They added that the information indicates that Putin spent a long time during the Corona pandemic in the Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea, where the “Scheherazade” yacht made several trips to Sochi in the summer of 2020 and 2021.
Italy recently confiscated assets owned by rich Russians worth regarding 140 million euros, including the 65 million euros “Lady Mother” yacht owned by Alexei Mordashov, a Russian businessman close to Putin.
Many well-known figures in Russia are subject to sanctions from Western countries in response to the Russian operation on Ukraine, including 350 deputies and close associates of Putin, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in addition to Putin himself.
These sanctions also target several Russian businessmen, including Roman Abrahamovich, the owner of the English club “Chelsea”, which offered it for sale, and Igor Sechin, director of the oil group “Rosneft”.
