230 million dollar market value: USA plans to sell the oligarch yacht "Amadea"
Leonie Meyer
· 07.03.2024
The "Amadea" was once considered the epitome of luxury and prestige, but since its seizure with the help of the FBI in Fiji in 2022, it has become a symbolic theatre in the geopolitical power play between the USA and Russia. As the property of the sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, the superyacht is at the centre of a legal dispute that not only raises the question of its legal future, but also entails considerable financial burdens for the US government. Kerimov has been on the US sanctions list for money laundering since 2018. He was also sanctioned by the EU and other countries in the course of the war in Ukraine. This is evident from the latest reporting by the US broadcaster CNN out.
The monthly maintenance costs for the "Amadea" amount to almost one million dollars, which has prompted federal prosecutors to ask a judge for permission to sell the ship. These costs, consisting of approximately $600,000 for upkeep, $144,000 for insurance and an additional $178,000 for dry dock fees, represent a significant burden on American taxpayers.
Is the maintenance of the "Amadea" being driven up?
Despite the yacht's high market value of 230 million dollars (around 210 million euros), which has been estimated by experts, the sale is opposed by Eduard Khudainatov, another oligarch. Khudainatov, former head of the Russian oil producer Rosneft, is offering to reimburse the costs of maintenance and is also claiming ownership of the motor yacht. According to the MIRRORS the latter could also have acted as a front man for Kerimov. This legal dispute could drag on for months and further increase the cost of maintaining the "Amadea".
The question of the sale of the "Amadea" is not only a financial matter, but also a symbol of the US attempt to exert pressure on the Kremlin by seizing assets from Kremlin-affiliated individuals. While the criminal authorities see a sale as a way to reduce costs for taxpayers, the potential new owners refuse to give up the luxury yacht and question the legality of the seizure.
