ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC The Antigua and Barbuda government has confirmed that the former owners of the superyacht Alfa Nero, which the government said it sold for US$40 million, have filed a lawsuit.
A statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting quoted Prime Minister Gaston Browne confirming that the yacht “owned by the government following an Act of Parliament” had been sold.
But the statement added, “He also informed that the proceeds have been deposited in a Bank (and)a lawsuit has been filed since by the former owner(s), seeking to claim the proceeds.
The statement added, “That frivolous lawsuit, the Cabinet agreed, will not prevent the government from making good on the obligations incurred while the vessel was under its ownership.”
Last week, the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Governance confirmed that the Antigua Port Authority “has successfully concluded the sale of the Alfa Nero for US$40 million and the consequential prompt removal of the yacht from our jurisdiction.”
The 267-foot vessel had been anchored in Antigua since February 2022. The government auctioned it after seizing it in April 2023.
Initially, US tech mogul Eric Schmidt won with a $67 million bid but later withdrew, citing legal complications. The name of the new buyer has yet to be disclosed.
According to the Cabinet statement, it was “agreed that an investment in a tangible asset will serve as a reminder of the immense difficulties which this lawful seizure and sale caused the Antigua and Barbuda people and government.”
It said the Alfa Nero proceeds were used to retire debts associated with the vessel, and the balance was used to reduce government debt.
In 2023, the government said it had successfully discussed its application for a license with the United States to proceed with the unfettered sale of the Super Yacht, Alfa Nero.
It said then that the US Department of the Treasury issued the license to the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, authorizing persons licensed by the US Treasury to “participate in the Government of Antigua and Barbuda auction of the vessel M/Y Alfa Nero.”
The yacht, which had previously been valued at US$81 million, was reportedly owned by Russian Oligarch Andrey Grigoryevich Guryev, who has been sanctioned by Western countries following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
According to the United States, Guryev, 64, made a multimillion-dollar fortune from the Russian fertilizer company, PhosAgro.
The yacht features a 12-metre infinity pool, a Jacuzzi, a spa, a beauty room, and a helipad. Guryev, subjected to United Kingdom government sanctions in April 2022, denied being the owner.
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