United States Justice Department has ordered the seizure of two planes owned by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich.
According to a statement issued on Monday, June 6, by Andrew Adams, director of the Justice Department’s KleptoCapture task force, the aircraft were used in violation of US sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Task Force KleptoCapture is a United States Department of Justice unit established in March 2022. It was tasked with the goal of enforcing sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The two planes, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and a Gulfstream G650ER executive jet, were flown into Russian territory earlier this year, according to court records, in breach of US export prohibitions imposed on US-made aircraft on March 2.
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The move, which was announced by the Justice Department’s New York division, targeted one of Russia’s wealthiest oligarchs.
Abramovich had previously been compelled to sell Chelsea Football Club; following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
Adams noted;
The move aims at incentivizing people who are close to the Kremlin to distance themselves from the Kremlin; and from the Russian state as it continues to ramp up the war.
Both aircraft, which the Justice Department valued at $400 million, is believed to be currently out of reach of US officials — in Russia and, for the Boeing, possibly in Dubai according to media reports.
The KleptoCapture Director further revealed;
We will take active steps to pursue seizure, and we’ll keep an eye out to see if they move jurisdictions.
The seizure order outlined in detail how Abramovich controls the two aircraft through a series of shell companies.
In parallel with the order, the US Commerce Department issued a letter officially charging Abramovich with knowingly violating US restrictions that seek to block specific technologies and goods from being exported to Russia.
The charges can bring significant financial penalties of up to double the value of the “export” transaction, the Commerce letter said; suggesting that they could seek more than the value of the aircraft in fines.
Adams explained:
Commerce’s export and re-export controls are robust and they must be respected. They’re a critical component of the US strategy to deprive Russia of the means of fully fueling its illegal war.
