Topline
French officials on Thursday seized a yacht they believe is owned by Russian oil baron Igor Sechin, a close ally of Vladimir Putin, in the port of La Ciotat, a move that comes just a day after German authorities seized a mega yacht owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov.
Russian businessman, Rosneft’s President Igor Sechin attends the annual meeting with members of … [+]
Key Facts
Announcing the seizure on Twitter, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire thanked French customs officers for enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against Russian oligarchs closely linked to Putin.
Sechin is the CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft.
A French finance ministry statement shared by Le Maire stated that the yacht was owned by an entity of which Sechin had been identified as the main shareholder.
The statement noted that the yacht arrived in La Ciotat on January 3 and was expected to remain there until April 1 to carry out repairs.
At the time of the seizure, however, the vessel was making hasty arrangements to sail away urgently without the planned repair work being completed.
This is a developing story.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/03/03/french-government-seizes-yacht-owned-by-rosneft-chief-igor-sechin/