Spanish police and FBI seize superyacht in Mallorca linked to Putin ally
Spanish police and US FBI agents have searched a £70m superyacht in Mallorca linked to Viktor Vekselberg, a sanctioned Russian billionaire the US government says is a close ally of Vladimir Putin.
The law enforcement officers on Monday descended on the yacht at the Marina Real in Palma, the capital of Mallorca and the Balearic Islands.
The US, EU and UK have impounded several superyachts that have been linked to some of Russia’s richest men to put pressure on oligarchs thought to be close to Putin after his invasion of Ukraine.
The latest to be immobilised is Tango, the 78-metre Vekselberg-linked vessel that carries the Cook Islands flag of convenience and is registered to a company in the British Virgin Islands. The yacht can host 14 guests in luxury in seven cabins, with a crew of 22, according to the SuperYachtFan website.
Spanish police said in a statement that the yacht was seized as part of investigations into fraud, money laundering and false documents allegedly used to hide ownership of the vessel to avoid sanctions. The raid found documents and devices that have been taken for examination.
US authorities identified Tango as Vekselberg’s asset in March, putting its value at $90m (£70m). The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) also said Vekselberg owned a $90m private jet, an Airbus A319 more usually used by airlines to carry up to 150 passengers.
Vekselberg’s assets were thought to be worth $6bn, Ofac said, with interests spanning energy and other sectors through his Renova Group conglomerate. He built up his wealth primarily through privatisations of Russian oil and aluminium assets in the chaotic aftermath of the fall of the Soviet Union.
He was first sanctioned in 2018 by the US in response to Russia’s “malign
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