- The mother of a superyacht captain has said her son would not knowingly work for Vladimir Putin.
- Debbie Bennett-Pearce discussed rumors that the vessel belonged to the Russian leader, per The Telegraph
- Italian authorities are yet to confirm who the actual owner is, however.
The mother of the British captain of a superyacht has said her son would not knowingly work for Vladimir Putin, amid speculation that it belongs to the Russian president.
Guy Bennett-Pearce is the captain of the superyacht, which has been moored on the Tuscan coast of Italy since September last year after a two-day trip, according to Marine Traffic.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Guy Bennett-Pearce's mother, Debbie, said: "I don't think for one second that Guy would work for that — whatever you want to call him … murderer."
US intelligence officials previously said they believed the $700 million superyacht could belong to Putin, as Insider's Zahra Tayeb reported. However, Italian authorities have yet to confirm who the actual owner is.
The Guardia di Finanza confirmed to Insider that investigations are under way but declined to comment on ownership of the yacht.
The captain told his mother that he had signed non-disclosure agreements before taking the job, meaning he was unable to speak to the media, per the news report.
Ms Bennett-Pearce said her son had been a merchant seaman for 20 years and had risen up to become a ship's captain.
Per the report, the Russian jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny claims that the superyacht belongs to the Russian president.
Earlier this month, Guy Bennet-Pearce told reporters Putin was not the owner of the ship and that he had never been on the yacht. But he did not rule out the possibility of the owner being Russian.
Meanwhile, in Marina di Carrara, where the superyacht is docked, locals are convinced it is "Putin's yacht," Insider reported.
The yachts and their billionaire owners, many of which are among Putin's allies, were included in a series of sweeping global sanctions recently imposed against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, Italy seized a $578 million megayacht belonging to Andrey Melnichenko, France seized a $120 million vessel owned by Igor Sechin, and Spain seized a $153 million superyacht linked to Sergei Chemezov.
Insider reported on how the dozen sanctions superyachts seized could rapidly waste away if they were not properly manned.