Croatia to hand over to Ukraine Putin ally’s superyacht

After the District Court in Split (Croatia) ruled to transfer the Royal Romance luxury yacht to Ukraine, the national agency for finding, tracing, and managing corruption-related assets (ARMA) is preparing for a re-evaluation of the asset.

That’s according to ARMA chief Olena Duma, Ukrinform reports.

"The State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia - the head of the interdepartmental working group on support for Ukraine, Frano Matusic, was informed about the ruling issued by the District Court in Split to transfer the Royal Romance vessel to Ukraine based on the legal assistance enquiry," Duma noted.

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According to the official, Ukraine has received assurances that the vessel will be handed over to Ukraine as soon as possible. ARMA has received approval to re-evaluate the asset before moving to sell it.

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Separately, Duma noted that the specified yacht moved for a technical inspection on January 25, 2024.

"As to media reports about the departure of Medvedchuk's seized yacht, Royal Romance. The main thing is not to panic. ARMA is keeping the issue under special control and has reliable data that the confiscated yacht was temporarily relocated on January 25, 2024 to test its technical capacity, buoyancy, and engine performance," Duma wrote.

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According to the official, these measures were ordered by court in Split and supervised by port captain and police forces.

As reported, Croatian law enforcement seized the 92-meter luxury yacht, Royal Romance, believed to be owned by Viktor Medvedchuk, a former Ukrainian lawmaker known for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The legislator has been targeted in EU sanctions as a person affiliated with the Kremlin.

Photo: yachtharbour.com