Danny and Karen Nikolic visit Fiji marina where seized yacht was moored

SERIOUSLY ill horse trainer John Nikolic’s mother and brother have taken time out from visiting him in a Fiji hospital at the weekend to look for his seized luxury yacht.

Danny Nikolic and his mother Karen at Port Denarau Marina. Picture: Mark Stewart

SERIOUSLY ill horse trainer John Nikolic’s mother and brother took time out from visiting him in a Fiji hospital at the weekend to look for his seized luxury yacht.

Nikolic is in hospital, and his wife, Yvette, is in jail on remand, after police raided the yacht, Shenanigans, seizing what they said was a haul of drugs and guns and impounding the vessel.

His mother, Karen, and brother, Danny, a well-known jockey, spent more than five hours at Denarau Marina, where the boat had been moored.

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Karen Nikolic and son Danny at the marina where yacht, Shenanigans, was docked. Picture: Mark Stewart

They drank at The Rhum-Ba bar and restaurant, which overlooks the pier, selecting a table with a clear view of the yacht berths.

They were often on the phone in serious conversation, and Danny appeared to be writing or taking notes.

At one point, Karen strode purposefully out to the end of the Rhum-ba balcony and leaned over the railing, craning her head to get a better view of the end of the pier where Shenanigans had been moored, though views of the vessel were largely obscured by multi-million-dollar super-yachts.

Karen Nikolic looks out over Port Denarau Marina. Picture: Mandy Squires

Yvette and John Nikolic before the raid. Picture: Facebook

But on Monday night the Herald Sun confirmed that Nikolic’s yacht had been moved.

The pair later left the Rhum-Ba and walked around the marina, stopping to ask questions at a catamaran service. They then settled into Cardo’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar, which also overlooks Port Denarau Marina and provides a different vantage point of the pier, for several hours.

Danny Nikolic and his mother Karen at Port Denarau Marina. Picture: Mark Stewart

They were also spotted shopping in an up-market department store.

A waiter at the marina told the Herald Sun he had watched on June 21 as John Nikolic, motionless and silent, was wheeled up the pier on an ambulance stretcher. He had earlier seen a number of men walk up the pier and on to the yacht.

It is understood John Nikolic remains in intensive care in Lautoka Hospital after drinking a toxic cocktail, believed to have been liquid cocaine and methamphetamine.

Karen Nikolic at Port Denarau Marina. Picture: Mark Stewart

Danny Nikolic goes for a stroll. Picture: Mark Stewart

Danny Nikolic and his mother Karen go shopping. Picture: Mark Stewart

Yvette Nikolic is due to appear at Lautoka court on Wednesday on drug possession and importation charges. She is on remand in Lautoka Women’s Corrections Centre.

At an earlier court appearance she asked to be allowed to retrieve a number of personal items from the boat and to have the yacht returned to her.

She also asked that she be allowed to visit her critically ill husband in hospital. All but the application for clothes and personal items were denied.

Fiji’s Revenue and Customs Service says it found 13 bars of cocaine worth as much as $20 million, 65 ecstasy tablets, $20,000 of undeclared cash, and two handguns and 97 rounds of ammunition aboard Shenanigans.

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