Sanctioned Russian billionaire by Suleiman Kerimov’s $325 million superyacht Amadea aimed to reach Australia to avoid seizure at all costs. However, The United States is striving to seize the Amadea currently docked in Fiji. The vessel is believed to have traveled for 18 days from Mexico and crossed the Pacific only to end up in choppier waters.
Suleiman Kerimov is the subject of economic sanctions by the United States and the European Union, which is why Fiji’s director of public prosecutions, Christopher Pryde, applied to the High Court to prevent the Amadea from leaving Fiji. Officials captured Kerimov’s 347-footer after it arrived at the Pacific island nation without customs clearance.
As per The Guardian, the application requested “the motor yacht Amadea be restrained from leaving Fijian waters until the finalization of an application to register a warrant to seize the property and (ii) that the U.S. warrant to seize the Amadea be registered.” The U.S. embassy said in a statement, “We continue to ratchet up the pressure on Putin’s oligarchs, and we are working with allies and partners to go after corrupt gains from some of the individuals closest to Putin, no matter where they are held around the world,” shared Reuters.
Before Amadea, the FBI themselves seized Russian–Cypriot oligarch Viktor Vekselberg’s $90 million megayacht Tango with Spanish authorities in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of Spain’s Balearic Islands. This operation was the first ever to be carried out by the FBI at the request of U.S. authorities along with Homeland Security Investigations and Spain’s Civil Guard.
About the one-of-a-kind Amadea megayacht:
This Lurssen-built megayacht flaunts an exterior design by Espen Øino.
A double-height atrium, Pleyel grand piano, leather-book-clad walls, and full-beam dining table make for elegant features. $325 million Amadea sports a clamshell deck, a massive 59-foot beam, a dedicated party deck with 20,000 watts of speakers, and a cinema with a popcorn machine.
In addition to stunning private quarters, the schooner accommodates 16 guests across eight cabins. While the galley on the top deck, colossal grill area, and even a live tank for lobster are the one-of-a-kind features, the highlight is the spa pool that gets transformed into a stage where bands and D.J.s plug straight into the ship’s audio system.
The owner’s deck holds a separate saloon, bar, and dining area with marbles, rare woods, exceptional stone, and wood inlay work.
About Suleiman Kerimov:
Suleiman Kerimov holds a 76% stake in Russia’s biggest gold producer, Polyus, and enjoys a net worth of $13.7 billion. Being an extremely private person, Kerimov has not given a single interview in his 20 years in business. The billionaire began his career as an economist at the Eltav electrical plant in Makhachkala and earned a measly $250 a month. He gradually climbed the ladder of success by first handling relations between Eltav and Fedprombank, a Moscow bank established by the electrical company. Eventually, he became the head of the banking and trading company Soyuz-Finans, in 1995. Over a period of time, the trained economist made a career investing in distressed companies in Russia.
