ANTIGUA-Government condemns “politically motivated” attempt to malign PM regarding the sale of a megayacht.

ANTIGUA-Government condemns “politically motivated” attempt to malign PM regarding the sale of a megayacht.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – The Antigua and Barbuda government has condemned what it claims to be a “politically motivated attempt” to malign Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his family in selling the Alfa Nero megayacht last year.

A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting said that it had acknowledged a lawsuit filed in a United States Federal Court in Puerto Rico regarding the purchase amount of the Alfa Nero yacht.

The statement said that the Cabinet had also noted an article published on the Associated Press online news portal referencing the lawsuit.

“The article, which heavily cites opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) officials, alleges that the lawsuit aims to investigate whether any undisclosed dealings for personal gain occurred.

“The Cabinet strongly condemns this politically motivated attempt to malign the Prime Minister and his family. The lawsuit, along with the article, falsely implicates Prime Minister Gaston Browne, his wife, his son, the Accountant General, and the Port Manager,” the statement said.

According to the article, attorneys for the daughter of a US-sanctioned Russian billionaire asked a US federal court on Tuesday for access to the financial records of officials, including the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. The prime minister’s administration is under scrutiny for seizing and selling the family’s 265-foot (81-meter) megayacht and not releasing documents related to the sale.

The article said the filing is the latest development in a global legal saga involving the Alfa Nero megayacht. The yacht remained anchored in Antigua for more than two years and had potential buyers, including former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

The megayacht, abandoned by Andrey Guryev, a Russian businessman who founded a fertilizer company, is being sought by his daughter, Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, who claims she is the rightful owner.

In the filing, her attorneys stated that they sought documents and information related to wire transfers and other transactions involving seven people and 12 entities in the past five years to recover the megayacht.

“The disappearance of millions from the sale of the Alfa Nero is just the beginning,” said Martin De Luca, with Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, adding that the discovery seeks to uncover whether any alleged backroom deals for personal enrichment occurred.

Apart from Prime Minister Browne and his family, the lawsuit has also named several entities, including West Indies Oil Company Ltd., an Antigua-based petroleum storage and distribution company of which the Government is a majority shareholder, and Fancy Bridge Ltd., a Hong Kong-based investment firm that owns shares in the oil company, as does Petróleos de Venezuela S.A., known as PDVSA.

In its statement, the Antigua and Barbuda government said it is aware of affidavits and evidentiary exhibits filed in the High Court of Justice by Ministry of Finance officials as proof of expenditure from the sale of the Alpa Nero.

“The documents confirm that the proceeds from the Alfa Nero’s sale—amounting to US$40 million—were allocated to cover expenses related to the yacht’s maintenance, services, and supplies and payments of the commission to the agency that facilitated the sale of the super yacht.”

It said that additionally, approximately US$29 million of the proceeds were used to address critical fiscal obligations of the Government, including payments to domestic and external creditors such as the St. Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Software One Inc., judgment debts, and land compensation awards.

“The Cabinet unequivocally states that neither the Prime Minister nor any member of his family or any public official benefited from the sale of the Alfa Nero superyacht,” the statement said, adding that “the Cabinet notes that the Hon. Prime Minister has sought legal advice on whether the publication constitutes a grave defamatory attack on his reputation.

“In addition, the government of Antigua and Barbuda is involved in several litigations on the matter in the High Court and the Court of Appeal on the sale of the Alpha Nero with judgments expected at any time.”

The statement said, “This lawsuit and the Associated Press article represent yet another politically driven effort by the opposition UPP and its affiliates to tarnish the reputation of the Honourable Prime Minister and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda.”