A Russian businessman who crashed his yacht off the Isle of Tiree has been arrested – amid claims he was only supposed to be test-driving the £200,000 vessel in the waters off Norway.
Evgeny Dorofeev had to be airlifted to safety after a full-scale emergency was launched when his vessel ran aground at near Skerryvore Lighthouse on Tuesday.
But yesterday the 35-year-old appeared at the Extradition Court in Edinburgh after it emerged the Norwegian authorities had accused him of stealing the 40ft craft and sailing it hundreds of miles away to Scotland’s west coast.
Fiscal Depute Tom Crosbie told Sheriff Thomas Welsh QC that the Norwegian authorities had made a formal request for Mr Dorofeev’s return to their country.
It was claimed the Russian national had reached an agreement with the company which owned the yacht to have it for a period on condition that he did not go outwith Norwegian waters.
“He appears to have strayed out of that and is alleged to have stolen the vessel,” said Mr Crosbie.
The Fiscal added that the yacht had been valued at 2.5 million Norwegian Krona, in the region of £200,000.
Sheriff Welsh said it appeared that Dorofeev had the vessel on trial for sailing within Norwegian waters until February 13 and that the company claimed he took it out of the country’s waters.
He added that the Norwegians had 45 days to make an official request for Dorofeev’s extradition.
Solicitor Elaine Clancy said Mr Dorofeev did not consent to extradition.
She said he lived in Russia with his wife and child and was the manager of a large corporation in that country.
“He does not accept what the Norwegians say about his being out of their area. It came as a surprise to him and that he is a responsible person with a wife, child and a good job,” she said.
His lawyer added that he was prepared to obey any conditions imposed by the court, such as signing on at a police station.
Sheriff Welsh told Dorofeev: “At this stage the court has insufficient information to make an informed judgement and on the balance of the information I have received you will be remanded in custody for 28 days and during that time the authorities here will make inquiries with the Norwegian State for further information.”
On Monday, the RNLI lifeboat was launched from Islay, and was joined later by a crew from Barra, while commercial cable-laying vessel Deep Energy made its way to the area and took Mr Dorofeev on board.
The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter from Prestwick then airlifted the yachtsman to safety.
He did not require any medical attention.