Lisa Monaco, the deputy US attorney general, said US law enforcement officials likely found a precious Faberge egg on a yacht owned by a Russian oligarch that had been confiscated in Fiji.
According to various US media, it is a $300 million yacht owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Karimov. This ship sailed from Fiji to San Diego Bay late last month after a legal battle, where it is still being held.
“Let’s get to the exciting stuff: the yachts,” Monaco said at a forum devoted to discussing the role of law enforcement officers in freezing and confiscating Russian assets. “We found some really interesting things. We found a Faberge – or the so-called Faberge egg – on one of these yachts, so it just got a lot more interesting.”
Each one is unique
Faberge eggs are originally imperial gems in the shape of Easter eggs, made by Peter Carl Faberge and his staff between 1885 and 1917. 69 were created, of which 57 are still in existence. Empire eggs are unique and made of precious materials such as gold, platinum and precious stones.
The most famous Faberge eggs that have been auctioned in recent years were bought by a scrap dealer at a flea market somewhere in the Midwest of the United States. The dealer spent about $13,000 on it and left it lying around the house for nearly a decade. It is unclear how much this egg sold at auction in 2014, but experts estimate its value at $33 million.
The deputy prosecutor said the egg on the yacht is currently being checked for authenticity. Monaco supports the idea of transferring profits from confiscated blocks, like this egg, to Ukraine.
See also: Look inside the world’s largest yacht
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