A US judge on Monday determined that the former chief of Russian oil and gas company Rosnevft had no plausible claims that U.S. authorities own the $300 million superyacht won in the US Department of Justice’s victory.
The decision of US District Judge Dale Hoe is boosting federal prosecutors’ bids for the confiscation of a 348-foot (106-meter) Amadere that can be sold at auction.
Last year, Congress passed a law allowing seized Russian assets to be transferred to Ukraine in order to strengthen military defenses. Eduardo Kudynatov, who headed Rosneft from 2010 to 2013, tried to block the forfeiture in the second half of 2023 by claiming ownership of the yacht.
However, Manhattan prosecutors called Kudynatov the “straw owner” of Russian billionaire Suleiman Kelimov, who is under US sanctions.
Washington’s diplomatic stance on Moscow has changed dramatically since US authorities seized Amadea in 2022. The seizures began as Joe Biden’s administration tightened its enforcement of sanctions on people close to Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Moscow pressured it to halt the war in Ukraine.
However, after Donald Trump took office in January, US Attorney General Pam Bondy disbanded Task Force Creptcapture, which includes well-known cases such as the seizure of Amadea, among many of the actions targeting Russian oligarchs.
Then, on February 28, Trump attacked Ukrainian President Volodymea Zelensky for not appreciating US aid. On March 3rd, Trump suspended military aid completely to Kiev.
Zelensky enjoys a warm relationship with Biden and says it can save him from his relationship with Trump.
According to Forbes magazine, Kerimov and his family are worth $10.9 billion after winning big money through Russian gold minor Polius.
He was approved by the US Treasury in 2014 and 2018 for Russia’s activities in Syria and Ukraine.
Prosecutors said they violated these sanctions by paying more than $1 million in maintenance on the yacht.
Kudinatov is not subject to US sanctions. His lawyer, Adam Ford, said the prosecutors had no witnesses to establish that Kelimov owned Amadea.
“There is nothing that links Suleiman Kelimov to the vessel,” Ford said at a court hearing on January 21.
Prosecutor Rachel Dood said in the hearing that Kelimov’s nie paid the company controlled by 225 million euros ($243 million) in 2021. Kelimov’s family then used it on trips in the Mediterranean and Caribbean and planned major renovations, Doud said. Amadea is docked in San Diego, and the US government is paying about $600,000 a month to keep it up, prosecutors said.
