In a statement emailed to GIR, Khudainatov’s lawyers said the DOJ has spent $20 million in maintenance fees since the yacht was seized by Fijian authorities in April 2022.
“Mr. Khudainatov, the Amadea’s owner, has repeatedly offered to reimburse the American taxpayers for the maintenance costs if the government returns the Amadea to its rightful owner, to no avail,” the lawyers, Adam Ford and Renée Jarusinsky of Ford O’Brien Landy LLP in New York, said.