Fiji's High Court has ruled in favour of a bid by the United States government and Fijian authorities to seize a Russian-owned superyacht.
The $450m luxury vessel was detained by Fijian authorities on arrival in Lautoka in mid-April, because its alleged owner Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov is the subject of sanctions by US and European authorities.
High Court Judge Deepthi Amaratunga granted the application to seize the vessel but also gave the defence time to apply for a stay order.
That means the yacht, called the Amadea, will remain in Fijian waters for now.
Defence lawyer Feizal Haniff, acting for the Amadea's registered owners Millemarin Investment Ltd, immediately asked the court for a stay on Justice Amaratunga's ruling.
"There is some indication that American authorities are wanting to take this boat away," he told journalists outside court.
"[The judge] said we have a right to appeal, and obviously he said that we will ensure that the boat is in Fiji while the stay application is filed."
Who is the sanctioned oligarch?
The US alleges the yacht is owned by Mr Kerimov, who, according to Forbes, is worth more than $US14.3 billion (almost $20 billion).
The defence has disputed that and said the yacht's beneficial or real owner is Eduard Khudainatov, who does not appear to be facing sanctions.
Mr Kerimov, who was not on board, is a politician and businessman, and a close ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He has been sanctioned by the US since 2018 for alleged money laundering and has faced further sanctions from Canada, Europe and Britain after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Soon after the yacht's arrival in Fiji, the High Court ordered the vessel was not to leave the country until the merits of the US warrant to seize it were determined.
The court hearing took place in Fiji's capital Suva last week but media were barred from covering it.
The Amadea travelled from Mexico for 18 days across the Pacific, entering Fijian waters on April 13, but it did not have customs clearance.
Almost immediately, the US sought to seize the yacht and sent a formal request for legal assistance to Fiji to prevent the vessel from leaving the Pacific island nation's waters.
ABC/Wires
