US announces seizure of superyacht owned by Russian oligarch

American officials say the 348-foot vessel belongs to Suleiman Kerimov, an economist and former Russian politician who was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department

The superyacht Amadea is docked at the Queens Wharf in Lautoka, Fiji (Leon Lord/Fiji Sun/AP)

A superyacht that American authorities say is owned by a Russian oligarch previously sanctioned for alleged money laundering has been seized in Fiji, the US Justice Department has announced.

A judge in Fiji earlier this week permitted US authorities to seize the yacht Amadea — worth 325 million dollars (€308m) — but also put his order temporarily on hold while defence lawyers mounted a challenge.