Fiji Loose Over $1Million From Keeping Amadea Yacht
The Court of Appeal granted Millemarin Investments Limited an ex parte application staying the High Court’s orders.
It costs the Fijian Government over a million dollar a week to keep the Russian superyacht, Amadea.
This was highlighted by the Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde during the mention of interim stay of execution granted to Millemarin Investments Limited of the order in the High Court registering the US warrant to seize the Amadea.
The matter was called at the Fiji Court of Appeal before Judge Justice Dr Almeida Guneratne on Thursday.
On May 6, 2022, the Civil High Court in Suva refused an application by Millemarin Investments Limited for an interim stay of execution of the court’s order granted earlier on May 5, 2022, to the DPP.
On the same day, the Court of Appeal granted Millemarin Investments Limited an ex parte application staying the High Court’s orders.
The Court declined to conduct a hearing on the stay and instead ordered the stay to continue until next week Wednesday when a full bench of the Court of Appeal would hear the substantive appeal filed by Millemarin Investments Limited against the decision of the High Court registering the USA warrant.
Millemarin Investments Limited lawyer Feizal Haniff filed an appeal on the decision made by the Civil High Court Judge Justice Deepthi
Amaratunga.
The Appeals Court ordered an interim stay of execution and/or enforcement of Justice Amaratunga’s judgment delivered on Tuesday pending the hearing and determination of the appeal application for stay of execution and/or enforcement of Justice Amaratunga’s judgment.
It ordered the yacht be restrained from leaving Fiji waters pending the hearing and determination of the appeal application for stay of execution and/or enforcement of Justice Amaratunga’s judgment.
The court also ordered the Fiji Police Force to assist in enforcing this order and Mr Haniff to serve the application to the respondents, the Director of Public Prosecutions and Suleiman Kerimov, by midday on May 9.
Mr Pryde on Thursday argued that the matter could be heard immediately given that it was costing the Fijian Government USD$83,000 (FJ$182, 222) and just over a $1million a week blocking traffic at the Port of Lautoka.
He said Fiji had its international reputation at stake.
Mr Pryde said the substantive matter should be heard in the USA as their instruction from the Attorney-General was to simply register the warrant.
He said there was no expiration date on the stay-on warrant that was granted last Friday.
Mr Haniff did not object to the matter to be dealt with by the court immediately and would file his submissions before the hearing.
Justice Dr Guneratne ordered the matter be fixed for hearing on May 18 and all parties were to file their submissions concurrently on or before May 17.