A £75million superyacht belonging to a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin has been seized by the FBI and Spanish police.
Owned by Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg, the vessel 'Tango' was seized today at a shipyard in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, along with various computer devices and documents.
Vekselberg, who was born in Ukraine, is worth an estimated $9.3bn (£7.1bn) and made his fortune as the founder of Renova Group, a conglomerate with interests in mining, oil and other assets.
He was one of 24 Russians personally sanctioned by the US in November 2018 in response to the occupation of Crimea.
Last month, following the invasion of Ukraine, he was hit with further sanctions by the US, the UK, the EU and Australia.
He was also questioned by special counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
He reportedly lives in Switzerland.
In a statement, Spain’s Guardia Civil said they took the 255ft ship in a joint operation with the FBI and the US Department of Homeland Security.
The statement said: “Besides the seizure, the agents have made an entry and search inside the boat, which is 78 meters long and valued at more than €90m (£75m).
“During the entry and search carried out inside the yacht, we seized various documentation and computer devices.
“These will be analysed to, among other things, corroborate the identity of its real owner."
The Tango sails under a Cook Islands flag and is registered to a company based in the British Virgin Islands, which is in turn managed by Panamanian companies.
The Guardia Civil described this setup as “a complex financial and corporate plot to hide the true real ownership”.
The force further described Vekselberg as “a person very close to Vladimir Putin” and said he was under investigation in the US for “tax fraud, money laundering and false documentation”.
