In the wake of last week’s ruling by the High Court giving the owners of super-yacht “Alfa Nero” permission to seek a judicial review of the government’s proposed sale of the luxury vessel, the owners yesterday applied to the Court of Appeal for an order halting the auction, which the government hopes to hold on Friday June 16.
Andrew O’Kola, attorney-at-law for the yacht’s owners, said:
“Our clients are pleased that the High Court granted permission for judicial review on the basis that the proposed sale of the yacht may be unlawful, but disappointed that the High Court did not also grant an injunction to stop the sale going ahead until the legality of what the government is proposing can be properly considered by the courts. We are therefore asking the Court of Appeal to grant an emergency injunction.
To be clear, however, whether the auction goes ahead tomorrow or not, anyone intending to bid for the yacht needs to know that the government’s argument that it has the legal power to transfer ownership of the yacht to a purchaser is still the subject of an ongoing challenge in the courts.”