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The yacht, named Amore Velo, was confiscated as its crew tried to depart from the Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, according to a translatedletterfrom the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. The ship was initially scheduled to leave the port in April as it underwent repairs.
“At the time of the inspection, the ship was making arrangements to sail urgently, without having completed the planned work,” the ministry explained.
Amore Velo is said to be worth $120 million, the websiteSuper Yacht Fansaid. It can accommodate 14 guests and a crew of 28.
Officials took the vessel underEuropean Union sanctionsmeant to freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs, which went into place afterthe country sent troops into Ukraine last week.
“Thank you to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against those close to the Russian government,” French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in a translatedtweet.
In a message on Feb. 28, the European Union condemned Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine and named Sechin, the CEO of Russian oil company Rosneft, as one of PresidentVladimir Putin’s “most trusted and closest advisors,as well as his personal friend.”
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“He has been in contact with the Russian President on a daily basis,” the letter claimed. “He is considered to be one of the most powerful members of the Russian political elite.”
“His connections to Vladimir Putin are long and deep,” EU representatives added. “He worked with the President in the St. Petersburg mayor’s office in the 1990s and has proved his loyalty ever since.”
The EU alleges that Sechin receives financial gains and important assignments in return for his loyalty to Putin. They believe he “actively supported materially or financially” the decision to destabilize Ukraine, and has benefitted from the invasion.
According to theNew York Times, the U.S. Justice Department created a task force this week to go after billionaires who have helped Putin in his invasion of Ukraine. The group is called Task Force KleptoCapture.
U.S. PresidentJoe Bidenhas sought to freeze Putin’s assets and those of other Russian national security officials, the outlet said.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the interest of so-called “peacekeeping.”
source: people.com
