The United States warned Hong Kong on Saturday that the Chinese territory risks tarnishing its reputation by refusing to apply Western sanctions against a yacht linked to one of Russia’s richest oligarchs.
The 142-meter-long vessel, named the North, was spotted by locals at the entrance to Hong Kong Harbor on Thursday. He is said to be linked to Oleksiy Mordasov, one of the oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin who has been hit by sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and Great Britain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AFP and Agerpres reported.
As part of the sanctions, several authorities, including Spain, Italy, France and Fiji, have seized yachts linked to Russian oligarchs to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin and his entourage.
Hong Kong’s Ministry of the Navy told AFP on Friday that it was implementing United Nations sanctions but “does not comply with and has no legal authority to take action on unilateral sanctions imposed by other jurisdictions”.
USA: “Hong Kong’s reputation as a financial center depends on compliance with international law”
“The possibility that some individuals are using Hong Kong as a haven to avoid sanctions imposed by several jurisdictions further calls into question the transparency of the economic environment” in the territory, a US State Department spokesman told AFP on Saturday.
“Hong Kong’s reputation as a financial center depends on compliance with international law and international standards,” he added.
The oligarch Mordasov’s yacht is estimated at 500 million dollars
The owner of the Severstal Russian steel group, Mordasov owns one of the largest fortunes in Russia.
As reported by specialized sites, the yacht “Pivnich”, which is estimated at 500 million dollars and has two helipads, a cinema and luxurious cabins, left Vladivostok last week.
A spokesman for Mordasov told Bloomberg News on Thursday that the billionaire was in Moscow and declined to comment on the matter.
China has never condemned the Russian invasion and blames the conflict on the United States and NATO.
Source: Hot News RO
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.