Nine Fijians were on board the Russian superyacht Amadea as it left the Port of Lautoka at 5pm yesterday, bound for the United States of America.

This was confirmed by the Commissioner of Police, Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho, stating that the Fijians were part of a local shipping company hired to assist U.S. authorities take the yacht.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Christopher Pryde, said the decision acknowledged Fiji’s commitment to respecting international mutual assistance requests and Fiji’s international obligations.

“The court accepted the validity of the U.S. warrant and agreed that issues concerning money laundering and ownership need to be decided in the court of original jurisdiction, in this case, the U.S. District Court of Columbia,” he said.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Lambert said the U.S. authorities were grateful that the Fijian Government agreed to work under the auspice of mutual legal assistance demonstrating the importance of our partnership and bilateral relationship.