United States
Toilet brushes for $1,216: Confiscated oligarch yacht becomes a million-dollar grave
The luxury yacht “Amadea” A Russian super-rich man now carries the stars and stripes. But the seizure of the ship costs the USA dearly.
She is a dream in white: the luxury yacht “Amadea”. More than 100 meters long, a cinema, a wellness area, two powerful diesel engines. The ship has been in the care of the United States of America for more than two years – and is costing taxpayers there a lot.
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, which violated international law, authorities seized the ship in the Fiji Islands in April 2022 as part of sanctions against Russian oligarchs. Who exactly? “Amadea” heard, could not be finally clarified to this day. The US authorities attribute it to the entrepreneur Suleiman Abusaidovich Kerimov, one of the richest people in Russia, with close ties to the Kremlin.
Long expense lists for Olligarchenyacht “Amadea”
After some legal back and forth, the oligarch yacht was transferred to San Diego in the USA in the summer of 2022 – with the stars and stripes on the stern. It is still there, on the US West Coast.
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The “Washington Post” got the court to release files that show how much money it takes to maintain the ship. Actually the US government wanted them “Amadea” Sell it quickly and send the proceeds to Ukraine – but nothing has come of it more than two years after the confiscation. The laws only allow sales if a judge approves. This question could take years to resolve. Until a decision is made, the authorities are obliged to do so “Amadea” to entertain. And so there are a lot of ongoing costs day after day, week after week, month after month. The “Washington Post” lists numerous seemingly strange items:
- June 2022: Cleaning the hull: 12,458 US dollars (about 12,000 euros)
- June 2022: Food for the 30-person crew: $52,717
- June 2022: Fuel: $277,200
- December 2022: Crew salaries: $334,009
- December 2022: Docking fees: $33,368
- December 2022: Sprinkler system repair: $124,331
- Summer 2022: Flights, rental cars and hotel costs for officials: $7,000
- June 2022: iPhone for the Captains: $1,159
- July 2022: Crew uniforms: $988.42
- February 2023: Toilet Brushes and Holders: $1216
It goes on like this for hundreds of pages. Overall, the expenses for maintenance and care of the luxury yacht add up loudly “Washington Post” now to more than 30 million US dollars (equivalent to around 28.8 million euros). A spokeswoman for the US Department of Justice confirmed this amount. There is no end in sight to this spending. Instead, the bottom line is likely to be even worse for people in the United States. Because next to that “Amadea” The US government also has the luxury yacht “tango” confiscated – which also needs to be maintained.
The bitter conclusion of one of the “Washington Post” interviewed lawyer who specializes in confiscation cases: “This is incomprehensible to no one.” The dream in white has become a nightmare for taxpayers in the United States.
After the Russian attack, Germany also struggled with an oligarch yacht “Dilbar”. You can read the background here.
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
