Suleiman Kerimov must have been reeling from the aftermath of Amadea’s seizure when bad news struck him again. As per ABC News, the Treasury Department has blocked a $1 billion Delaware-based trust connected to sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. “Treasury continues using the full range of our tools to expose and disrupt those who seek to evade our sanctions and hide their ill-gotten gains,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. “Even as Russian elites hide behind proxies and complex legal arrangements, the Treasury will use our broad enforcement authorities, as well as our partnerships through the REPO Task Force, to actively implement the multilaterally coordinated sanctions imposed on those who fund and benefit from Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she said.
It looks like there’s no saving the sanctioned! The authorities are far from done and are not stopping at just seizing their gorgeous pleasure crafts. The United States and its partners have aggressively clamped down on sanctions in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ratchet up the cost to Moscow for continuing the conflict. Reportedly, the REPO Task Force of the U.S. and allies blocked or froze more than $30 billion of sanctioned Russian assets. That must also include the $7 billion worth of properties of Roman Abramovich, who still owns the nearly $1.3 billion megayachts Solaris and Eclipse but can’t use them.
The REPO officials have immobilized about $300 billion of Russian Central Bank assets in its first 100 days. Kerimov’s much-talked-about $325 million yacht Amadea was seized in Fiji after weeks of legal to and fro. The luxury vessel was taken at the request of the U.S. She flew under an American flag and arrived in Hawaii in June. The dedicated page on the maritime traffic tracking website MartineTraffic for the Amadea has also been updated to display the U.S. flag. The massive ship traveled 3000 nautical miles to reach Honolulu harbor from Fiji. It is no*w docked in San Diego Bay, according to CBS News. The stunning 348-footer welcomes guests by opening into an imposing double-height atrium. French designer Francois Zuretti gave the interiors a refreshing appeal with hand-painted Michelangelo clouds on the ceiling above the dining table, backlit whiskies, brandies, and rums in clear bottles behind the bar.
