by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, Aug 23 – On October 23, 2023 DOJ announced the filing of a civil forfeiture complaint against the Motor Yacht Amadea, a 348-foot luxury vessel worth over $300 million, beneficially owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov and maintained in violation of applicable sanctions against Kerimov and those acting on his behalf.
Inner City Press has been covering the case from that beginning. On August 12, 2024 U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Dale E. Ho held a proceeding about where to depose claimant Euard Yurievich Khudainatov. Inner City Press live tweeted it, thread.
Late on August 12, Inner City Press submitted a letter seeking unsealing, cc-ing the parties: "repeated references were made to documents in the case not available to the press and public, including the Claimant's August 7, 2024 filing of an Expert Declaration and Safe Passage letter and the Government's sealing of Special Agent McGee's declaration about, at a minimum, why the US Government opposes holding the deposition in the UAE. Also, if not yet unsealed, Exhibit Z to the Jude Declaration. Dkt 136. These should be unsealed, as should the other sealed filings in this case, including all "documents placed in vault." In cases where only a name could be redacted - the expert witness, for example (Dkt 151) the entire filing should not be sealed." Letter on DocumentCloud here.
On August 13, several documents were ordered unsealed. For now, just unsealed is DOJ's assertion that Khudainatov "is the longtime deputy to Igor Sechin... the second-most feared person in Russia." Judge Ho cited Judge Ronnie Abrams decision on Inner City Press' successful - and docketed - application to unseal Paduch's suretors, as before with SBF.
On August 22 the US Attorney's Office docketed a letter saying it will seal "declarations regarding Suleiman Kerimov and his relationship to Alisa Gadzhieva."
On August 23, the US Attorney's Office went further, sealing the names of locations considered for deposition, which they previously discussed in an open proceeding: Abu Dhabi, Tunisia and the like. Now they say "disclosing the identities of the countries under consideration would disclose sensitive information regarding the US's relations with foreign governments. Claimants consent to this request" - but will the judge? Does the public? We'll have more on this - there should be more unsealing.
More on X for Subscribers here & Substack here
The case is United States of America v. The M/Y Amadea, a Motor Yacht Bearing International Maritime Organization No. 1012531, Including All Fixtures, Fittings, Manuals, Stocks, Stores, Inventories, and Each Lifeboat, Tender, and Other Appurtenance Thereto, 23-cv-9304 (Ho)
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