US wants to arrest Lukoil-owned Boeing for $45 million

The US Department of Justice received an arrest warrant for a Boeing 737-7EM aircraft owned by Lukoil, reported department. Seizure of the liner was authorized by the District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The reason was the fact that the plane flew to and from Russia in violation of the sanctions imposed by the US Department of Commerce.

According to court documents, LUKOIL owns a Boeing aircraft with tail number VP-CLR and serial number 34865. The last time this Boeing flew to the United States was in March 2019: at that time, the aircraft was transporting LUKOIL officials to Houston, including co-owner Vagit Alekperov. Presumably, now the liner is in Russia. The Justice Department estimated its value at about $45 million. The FBI office in Houston, as well as the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce and the Department of Internal Investigations of the US Immigration and Customs Service, are conducting the confiscation case.

LUKOIL has been under US sanctions since September 2014. In response to the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the US authorities also imposed a ban on the provision of parts and maintenance of 99 Boeing aircraft located in Russia. The European Union also banned European companies from supplying, leasing, maintaining and insuring aircraft in Russia. Ministry of Transport in March informedthat 78 out of 1367 aircraft owned by Russian companies were arrested abroad.

On the consequences of sanctions – in the material “Kommersant” “Boeing flying over Russia”.

Laura Keffer