The government of Antigua and Barbuda has retained a U.S.-based law firm to represent its interests in a legal dispute over the sale of the Alfa Nero, a megayacht abandoned by Russian businessman Andrey Guryev.
His daughter, Guryeva-Motlokhov, claims she is the rightful owner of the yacht and is seeking access to records regarding the yacht’s sale, including financial documents related to the transaction.
The controversy began when the government sold the Alfa Nero last year for an alleged US$40 million. Guryeva-Motlokhov’s attorneys have since filed legal action in a Florida court, claiming that Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s administration has withheld key documents related to the sale. In a March 11 court filing, they alleged that the government had not released the necessary financial records, which they believe could shed light on potential mismanagement of funds.
Despite Browne’s insistence that the sale’s details are public, opposition leaders in Antigua have called for greater transparency regarding how the proceeds were used. Browne’s wife, Maria Browne, stated in July 2024 that the funds from the yacht sale were used to pay off government debt, but this explanation has done little to quell concerns. Just days before her statement, the prime minister had suggested the funds could be used for a resort development, raising further questions about the allocation of the proceeds.
Adding to the complexity of the situation, some banking records shared by Browne with the Associated Press were redacted, obscuring key details of the transactions.
The subpoenas sought by Guryeva-Motlokhov’s legal team target a broad range of individuals and entities, including the prime minister, his wife, one of their sons, Antigua’s general accountant, and its port manager. Additionally, the subpoenas extend to 12 entities, including West Indies Oil Co. Ltd., a government-majority-owned petroleum firm, and Fancy Bridge Ltd., a Hong Kong-based investment company with ties to Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA.
In response, the Antiguan government has appointed a U.S. law firm, for which it has allocated US$35,000, to defend the country in the ongoing legal proceedings. This move is intended to safeguard Antigua and Barbuda’s interests and protect its officials from the scrutiny surrounding the megayacht sale.
While Browne has rejected the claims of missing funds, emphasizing that the sale was conducted transparently, the controversy remains ongoing, with both sides presenting differing accounts of the yacht’s sale and the allocation of its proceeds.
