The US actually wants to confiscate the “Amadea” in Fiji. But the crew of the 300 million dollar yacht does not want to hand over the ship to the authorities – out of fear.
Authorities around the world like the US and parts of the EU want to confiscate the treasures of Russian oligarchs. Numerous houses, cars, bank accounts and ships have already been frozen, and governments are gradually taking the next step and want to confiscate the billionaires’ belongings and sell them in the last step. Partly to help Ukraine with the proceeds to rebuild after the war.
The crew opposes the “Amadea”.
However, confiscating valuable belongings is not always easy. The EU is currently working at full speed to make it possible to confiscate the property of sanctioned persons through new laws in the first place, elsewhere it is failing because of completely different things. In the case of the “Amadea”, which is said to belong to businessman Suleiman Kerimov, the crew refuses to help the authorities.
Also read: Russian oligarchs disappear from the radar: This is how the billionaires bring their luxury yachts to safety
“CBS News” reports that US officials asked the captain of the “Amadea” on the morning of May 7 to hand over the ship and parts of the crew to them. But John Walsh refused, they say. In court documents, he said he politely informed US officials and contractors that the crew could not help.
The crew’s unwillingness to cooperate and the owner’s complaints have meanwhile led to the authorities in Fiji asking their American colleagues not to board the yacht any longer. The former British colony is an independent island nation in the Pacific. The US officials have no executive power there and are dependent on the cooperation of the local judiciary and the authorities. According to the US Department of Justice, local authorities were previously of great help in detaining the yacht.
Fear for the professional future
Apparently, the mutiny on the “Amadea” is not a malicious act by the crew, but self-protection. Captain Walsh explained that the crew were afraid to cooperate with the US authorities as doing so would violate the contract with the owner and ruin their reputation in the yachting industry.
In addition, according to the captain, the crew is currently not being paid because the customer’s accounts are frozen. Accordingly, a journey is not possible.
“In short, the current crew of the Amadea refuses to proceed to an undisclosed destination with the US authorities aboard the Amadea,” the captain said. At the same time, he gave some new insights into the actions of the US authorities.
He wrote that he believed officials were in a great hurry to take over the ship on May 7. The intention was to leave the port as soon as possible – probably to bring the ship to an American port. And indeed: Walsh described that only 50 minutes later officials from Fiji stopped the takeover of the yacht due to pending court decisions.
Everyone is waiting for the court
The other side is apparently still prepared, they say. A hastily assembled crew stands ready near the ship, which can bring the ship to sea within a very short time. Corresponding job offers had previously existed on relevant job portals in the yacht industry.
Only on Friday was another verdict in favor of the United States, but the other side has another week to appeal, reports “CBS News”. Hearing is before the Supreme Court in Fiji.
The lawyers for the owner of the “Amadea” insist that the ship belongs to the currently unsanctioned Russian Eduard Yuryevich Khudainatov and should therefore not be confiscated. The defenders of the mega yacht “Scheherazade” (IMO 9809980) make the same argument. According to the Italian authorities, the $700 million ship belongs to Vladimir Putin, and the evidence is ongoing.
What: CBS News
