VLADIMIR PUTIN’S £500million megayacht could escape the harbour where it is being kept – as Italian police say they are STILL investigating its links to the Russian tyrant.
Despite calls for the decadent ship to be seized, the boss of the company overseeing its refit said today it is technically free to go.
The glittering Scheherazade is currently in a dry dock in Marina Di Carrara in western Italy undergoing maintenance work.
The Sun exclusively revealed pictures of the shockingly opulent interiors of the vessel earlier this week.
Giovanni Costantino, CEO of The Italian Sea Group, which is overseeing the repairs in their marina, said work is continuing on the boat.
When asked if the floating mansion belonged to Putin, Costantino said: “I’ll be honest we just don’t know.
READ MORE PUTIN STORIES
“What I will say is that we have handed over paperwork as requested by the authorities and it has emerged that the owner is Russian.
“However his name is not Putin and the name we have is not on the list of oligarchs which are under investigation.
“If there was anything untoward then the yacht would have been seized immediately but for the time being that just hasn’t happened.”
Italian finance police said this afternoon that they are continuing to investigate the ownership of the vessel.
A small European crew, believed to be mostly made up of British workers, are still onboard the dictator’s ship while it is being repaired.
It is believed that despite the maintenance work the ship is still seaworthy but is trapped in a dry dock in the company’s private harbour.
Costantino added: “That means that if there is no order the yacht can leave but as there is work being done it won’t be happening, she is in dry dock.
“The refit taking place will go on until the end of April and then there will have to be checks, mainly technical, so before it leaves the dry dock it will be June at the earliest.”
Many other yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs quickly moved from European ports before sanctions were imposed to stop them from being seized.
Pressure is mounting on Italy to seize and sell it to benefit Ukrainians while Putin rains terror on their innocent civilians.
The British captain of the ship, Guy Bennett-Pearce, is believed to be staying onboard.
Two weeks ago police boarded the ship to examine its certification documents.
Russian people paid for it. Putin needs his head flushing down that golden throne
Ex-crew member, Scheherazade
When asked previously whether the ship was owned by the dictator, Bennett-Pearce said: “I have never seen him. I have never met him.”
Bennett-Pearce’s mum has said she’d be “pretty furious” if she found out he was working for the Russian dictator.
The construction for the ship was managed by Imperial Yachts, which oversees the builds of many of the world’s megayachts.
It is registered in the Cayman islands and is legally owned by a company called Bielor Assets Ltd, domiciled in the Marshall Islands.
Read More on The Sun
Mad Vlad, whose forces are bombing women and children in Ukraine, spared no expense on the six-deck Scheherazade which includes tasteless gold loo roll holders.
An ex-crew member said: “Russian people paid for it. Putin needs his head flushing down that golden throne.”
