A luxury superyacht seized by U.S. authorities from sanctioned Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov is set to be auctioned off, according to the vessel’s listing website.
The 348-foot Amadea, valued at more than $300 million, features a helipad, pool, jacuzzi, gym, spa, beauty salon and eight staterooms for up to 16 guests, amadeaauction.com says. The yacht was seized in Fiji in April 2022 and is currently docked in San Diego.
Sealed bids are being accepted through Sept. 10 by National Maritime Services, a Florida-based company handling the sale. Bidders must submit a $10 million deposit.
A federal judge cleared the way for the auction in March, rejecting a competing ownership claim from Russian businessman Eduard Khudainatov, the former head of state oil giant Rosneft.
U.S. prosecutors argued Khudainatov acted as a “straw owner” to conceal the yacht’s true owner, Kerimov, a sanctioned ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kerimov was first sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 and again in 2022 following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The seizure of the Amadea was part of Task Force KleptoCapture, a Justice Department initiative launched under then-President Joe Biden to target the assets of Kremlin-linked oligarchs. President Donald Trump disbanded the task force after taking office.
Congress last year passed legislation allowing seized Russian assets to be sold, with proceeds directed toward humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
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