Plan for SBS veterans to storm Russian oligarch’s superyacht

A Russian billionaire’s ex-wife seeking her £453m divorce payout has seemingly hired former SBS operatives to seize a £225m superyacht.

The team has, according to the MailOnline, been instructed to take the 115metre Luna from Farkhad Akhmedov following a series of court actions. The hiring of the team will be led by former members of the British Special Boat Service (the naval version of the SAS).

Tatiana Akhmedova’s lawyers told the MailOnline: “The Marshall Islands courts have formally awarded the M/Y Luna to Tatiana, we are of course using all options available to us to recover her as part of the rightful settlement awarded to Tatiana.

“We have therefore retained the services of a specialist company to retrieve all assets owed to our client.”

Assets separately seized so far include the yacht’s private £5m Eurocopter, its £1.5m Torpedo speed boat, and a £40m global express jet.

Luna remains under an international arrest warrant in Port Rashid. This was after an attempt by Farkhad Akhmedov to have her towed into international waters by tug was thwarted.

Courts have passed different judgements on who has rights to Luna.

A spokesman for Farkhad Akhmedov told MailOnline: “All attempts to seize Luna in Dubai have been ruled illegal by Dubai’s most senior courts. Its judges have said that the wrongful award of a second divorce settlement to Tatiana by the English High Court is unenforceable in Dubai. There is no further appeal.

“Luna is moored alongside the MV Dubai which belongs to the Emirate’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed. Since the English High Court is now seeking to exert itself in matrimonial proceedings against Sheikh Mohammed, maybe this phantom battalion of SBS operatives will seek to storm that at the same time as Luna.

“The Marshall Islands ruling only involves the ‘flag of convenience’ registration certificate of the yacht. Apart from Burford’s lawyers, there is not a reliable maritime or legal opinion which believes that it will result in an enforced change of ownership.

“The dispute over Luna’s ownership has been heard in and fully resolved in Dubai. Any unauthorised personnel seeking to set foot on Luna in Dubai will be arrested and jailed as the decisions of the most senior judges and courts have made plain.”

The yacht was built for Roman Abramovich in 2010 before being sold to Farkhad in 2014 for £225m. Read the full article in the MailOnline.