The oligarch Farkhad Akhmedov has been on the EU sanctions list for two months. His mega yacht “Luna” in Hamburg was arrested. According to a report, he now wants the yacht back.
It is an attempt to wash his hands of his innocence: As the British “Times” reports, the Russian oligarch Farchad Akhmedov from Azerbaijan is said to have complained to the European Union. He is therefore asking to be removed from the sanctions list. Because of the European sanctions, Akhmedow is also not allowed to access his 115-meter-long yacht in Hamburg, which has been officially fixed since the beginning of May.
He is not at all close to the Kremlin and has never been part of President Vladimir Putin’s circle, the Times quotes from a letter that Akhmedov’s lawyers are said to have submitted to the Council of the European Union, the chamber of EU member states. At the request of t-online, a spokeswoman for the council said that no information could be given about specific individual cases. However, it is the rule that lawyers of sanctioned persons turn to the EU with complaints and appeals.
Hamburg: Russian oligarch demands his yacht back
Akhmedov ended up on the sanctions list because he is a leading businessman in economic sectors that serve the Russian state as an “important source of income,” according to the April 8 sanctions decree. The EU therefore has no doubt that Akhmedov is close to the Kremlin.
He made his money in the energy sector and worked in Russian local politics. According to the US business magazine “Forbes”, his fortune amounts to the equivalent of more than 1.5 billion euros. The yacht “Luna” alone is said to be worth around 400 million euros.
Akhmedov has his lawyers dismiss all allegations, reports the Times. Although he is involved in Russian local politics, he has not held any political office in Russia for “a decade”. He was also never a member of a political party. Relations with the Russian leadership are by no means good: the oligarch has been at odds with the Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom for years.
Megayacht “Luna” used to belong to Roman Abramovich
His luxury yacht based in Hamburg was originally built for Roman Abramowitsch. Abramovich also belongs to the ranks of the super-rich oligarchs and is the former owner of the English football club Chelsea FC.
Akhmedov is said to have bought the yacht in 2014. The “Luna” includes a small submarine, several dinghies and a helicopter. A maximum of 18 guests can be catered for in nine cabins by a crew of 50, reports the Internet portal “Superyachtfan”.
