Is mystery yacht in Italy Putin's pleasure boat?
India Today
Is Scheherazade, the mystery yacht in Italy's Massa, Russian President Putin's pleasure boat? Read on to find out.
In a dry dock in the Tuscan seaside town of Massa stands the "Scheherazade", the most infamous yacht in Italy today due to speculation it could belong to Vladimir Putin. With its bow facing the Mediterranean, the 140-metre craft worth an estimated $700 million is the subject of a probe into its ownership by Italy's financial police.
Several yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs have already been seized in Europe since Moscow invaded Ukraine last month. The seizure of the "Scheherazade", however, would be the most spectacular were its provenance indeed traced to the Russian president.
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For several months, it has been parked for maintenance work at The Italian Sea Group's shipyard at the Marina di Carrara, within the western seaside town of Massa not far from Tuscany's famous marble quarries of Carrara.
On Wednesday, an AFPTV journalist witnessed no obvious signs of activity on board, although some men were working nearby.
A source close to the ongoing probe by Italy's financial police told AFP that the investigation could be wrapped up within days.
"We are in a phase of delving deeper and it's generally more complicated," said the source. "It's not always easy to attribute ownership."
