Kerimov was already punished by the United States in 2018 for money laundering and he is part of the series of Russian oligarchs against whom a series of countries have imposed sanctions after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
But Kerimov, according to the finance ministry, appeared to be “using a series of complicated legal structures and front men to hide his interests in Heritage Trust”. The company is headquartered in Delaware, the home state of US President Joe Biden, which has one of the most advantageous tax laws in the world.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen accused the Russian elite of “hiding behind intermediaries and complex legal constructs”. She promised her ministry will use its authority to apply the sanctions targeting “those who finance and profit from Russia’s war in Ukraine”.
Earlier, a Kerimov superyacht, worth about $300 million, was seized in Fiji at the request of the United States.