The US is seeking to seize a $325 million superyacht moored in Fiji linked to a sanctioned Russian oligarch

The US wants to seize a $325 million superyacht moored in Fiji that is linked to a Russian billionaire.

Christopher Pryde, the director of public prosecutions, filed applications with the High Court on Tuesday requesting that the motor yacht Amadea be restrained from leaving Fijian waters until the finalisation of an application to register a warrant to seize the property.

The court has not set a date for hearing the applications.

Pryde's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on why the applications were filed and for details of the vessel's owner. The US Treasury and Department of Justice did not reply immediately.

The Amadea docked in Lautoka on April 13 after an 18-day voyage from Mexico's Pacific coast. An official at the National Police Command and Control Centre told the news agency that the captain of the yacht had been questioned by the police.

Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia after Putin ordered troops into Ukraine. As well as banning transactions with Russia's central bank and blocking the trade of luxury goods, the West has also seized the assets of Russian elites to put pressure on them. sanctions have not been imposed on Russia.

The EU and UK imposed sanctions on Kerimov on March 15. The EU said that Kerimov is a member of the inner circle of oligarchs close to Putin, and that he attended a meeting in February to discuss the impact of Western sanctions.

Kerimov, who was a member of the Russian Federation Council, had been accused of money-laundering in France and failing to pay taxes on villas, and he had already been sanctioned by the US.

Kerimov is estimated to be worth around $14.3 billion. A controlling stake in Polyus Gold is owned by Kerimov and his family, and Nafta Moscow is a financial and industrial group in Russia.

France, Italy, and Spain have seized assets belonging to people who have been blacklisted. The first yacht to be seized under the latest US sanctions was the $90 million superyacht Tango, which was seized by authorities on the Spanish island of Mallorca on April 4, following a request from the US.

The superyacht ICE is thought to be worth $170 million, and is owned by Kerimov's son, Said Kerimov.