A luxurious superyacht linked to Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov could soon go up for auction after a US judge dismissed a competing ownership claim for the $300 million vessel on Monday.
The 348-foot (106-metre) Amadea has been docked in the Port of San Diego, California, since it was seized by US authorities from Kerimov, a sanctioned Russian oligarch.
Eduard Khudainatov, a wealthy Russian and former head of the state oil and gas company Rosneft, claimed in a New York court to be the rightful owner of the yacht. However, his claim was rejected by District Judge Dale Ho.
Prosecutors alleged that Khudainatov was a "straw owner" of the Amadea and that the true owner was Kerimov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kerimov has been under US sanctions since 2018, with additional sanctions imposed in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After the invasion, the US Justice Department, under then-President Joe Biden, initiated the seizure of assets owned by Russian oligarchs close to Putin through an operation known as Task Force KleptoCapture. However, this task force was disbanded by former President Donald Trump after he took office.
Last year, the US Congress passed legislation allowing the sale of seized Russian assets, with the proceeds earmarked for humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
The Amadea, which features a helipad, pool, jacuzzi, and a "winter garden" on deck, according to the website superyachtfan.com, was seized in Fiji in April 2022 at the request of US authorities and later transported to San Diego.
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