As part of its decision, the appeals court ordered that its decision would not take effect for seven days, possibly to give time for any appeals to be filed.

The US argues that its investigation has found that behind various fronts, the Cayman Islands-flagged luxury yacht is actually owned by sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician.

Kerimov invested in Russian gold producer Polyus, with Forbes magazine putting his net worth at $16 billion. The US first cleared him in 2018 after he was detained in France and on charges of money laundering, sometimes with a suitcase filled with 20 million euros.

The FBI linked Amadia to the Kerimov family through their alleged use of code names and purchases of items such as pizza ovens and spa beds. The ship became a target of Kleptocapture, a task force launched in March to seize the assets of Russian oligarchs to pressure Russia to end the war.

The 106 m (348 ft) long vessel, about the length of a football field, has a live lobster tank, a hand-painted piano, a swimming pool and a large helipad.

Hanif, who represents Millmarin Investments, the owner of the paper, argues that the owner is another wealthy Russian who does not face sanctions, Eduard Khudainatov. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of the state-controlled Russian oil and gas company Rosneft.

The US acknowledges that the paperwork shows that Khudainatov is the owner, but says he owns a second and even larger superyacht, the Scheherazade, which has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US questions whether Khudainatov can really afford to buy two superyachts totaling more than $1 billion.

The FBI said, “The fact that Khudainatov is being held on record as the owner of the two largest superyachts, both linked to sanctioned individuals, suggests that Khudainatov may have a clean slate to hide the true beneficial owners.” , being used as straw owner without permission,” the FBI court affidavit reads.

The US claims that Kerimov secretly bought Amadia last year through shell companies. The FBI said a search warrant in Fiji showed in emails that Kerimov’s children were on board the ship this year and that the crew used code names – G0 for Kerimov, G1 for his wife, G2 for their daughter, and G2 for Kerimov. Similarly.

The FBI said crew members discuss a possible “upcoming G0 guest trip,” noting that it wants the fastest jet skis available—so they’ll need to buy new jet skis.

In his appeal, Hanif argues that the US case is based on rumors and rumors spread by unidentified crew members, and that there is no evidence that Khudainatov could not have invested in the two superyachts.

The ferry remains at the port of Lautoka in the heart of Fiji’s sugarcane region.