Frano Matusic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Wednesday said he could not give details about the disappearance of a Russian yacht from the Croatian island of Murter because the investigation was still under way.

The yacht Irina VU, docked in the marina in Betina on the island of Murter, was under the sanctions of the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom as part of the property of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The yacht moved from the island Murter to Dubrovnik and then went towards Turkey in October, having previously undergone police and border control and the control of the Port Authority.

Matusic noted that a decision was made on 13 July to block the yacht because of its connection with a person on the sanctions list released by the European Union, and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure was tasked with implementing the decision on blocking the assets.

According to his knowledge, the ministry blocked the assets, about which the owners and the captain of the vessel were informed.

We received news that the yacht disappeared on 10 January, and on 12 January a request for information was made because the act is a gross violation of the sanctions, said Matusic.

Violations of sanctions are subject to penalties, including a prison sentence of six months to five years, he added.

We are waiting for the investigating authorities to establish all facts and the names of those involved, so that the case could be processed as soon as possible, said Matusic, who is at the helm of the sanctions committee.

He also said there was information that a Croatian crew had taken part in the escape of the yacht towards Turkey, but this is still being investigated.

He also said that the sanctions were constantly upgraded and that new persons were added to the list, adding that the communication with Brussels was good.-