Sulberg Services v Council (Case T-1084/23)
The 85-meter motor yacht Meridian A to remain under arrest by Spanish Authorities after the EU Court rejected an appeal for annulment for Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/1767 of 13 September 2023.
For the first time since 2022, an update has been given on the status of M/Y Meridian A, as first reported by Superyacht News. A new ruling by the European Union’s General Court rejected an appeal brought by Sulberg Services, a company based in the British Virgin Islands, to repeal the decision taken at the time of the vessel’s seizure.
Known as Valerie at the time of arrest, Meridian A was one of the first vessels to be arrested in 2022 following the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. She was seized by the Spanish Authorities as it was gearing up to undergo a refit at MB92 Barcelona after being linked to Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec. The yacht’s registered ownership belongs to British Virgin Islands company Sulberg Services, with Chemezov’s daughter-in-law Anastasia Ignatova being identified as the ultimate beneficiary.
Sulberg Services, previously known as Delima Services, filed a request for the annulment of the decision to seize Meridian A’s contending the decisions taken leading to the seizure are unjustified. It was argued unjustified since ownership of the yacht was transferred from under Ignatova to undisclosed individual “A”. The Court ruled that the action was dismissed as inadmissible as it did not meet the legal requirements necessitated for annulment.
Furthermore, the Court found that Sulbrg Services Ltd “shall bear its own costs and pay those incurred by the Council of the European Union.” In June 2022, the yacht’s owner no longer continued paying maintenance fees, Bloomberg reported and later confirmed by Reuters. After MB92 Barcelona reportedly filed a complaint, the Spanish Authorities got involved. The Lürssen-built vessel was scheduled for maintenance at the facility before its detention, rendering the refit work impermissible.
Image Credit: Stuart Pearce – YachtShot