Attorneys representing Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, daughter of U.S.-sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, have filed a request in a U.S. federal court seeking access to the financial records of several officials in Antigua and Barbuda, including Prime Minister Gaston Browne.
This action stems from the government’s seizure and sale of the 265-foot megayacht, Alfa Nero, which had been anchored off Antigua for over two years.
The yacht, initially valued at $120 million, was sold for $40 million to a Turkish conglomerate in July 2024.
Guryeva-Motlokhov claims rightful ownership and alleges a lack of transparency in the sale process.
Global news agency – AP – is reporting that as part of the effort to recover the megayacht, Yulia’s attorneys want documents and information related to wire transfers and other transactions involving seven people and 12 entities in the past five years.
The people targeted include Prime Minister Gaston Browne, his wife, the prime minister’s son and Antigua’s general accountant and its port manager.
The entities include 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.
The yacht was sold for $40 million to an unnamed Turkish billionaire, with proceeds reportedly used to pay off state debts. The government has never explicitly stated in public what debts it paid off.
Martin De Luca, with Boies Schiller Flexner LLP told AP news, “the disappearance of millions from the sale of the Alfa Nero is just the beginning,” adding that the discovery seeks to uncover whether any alleged backroom deals for personal enrichment took place.
There is nothing to indicate that prime minister Browne is in receipt of any documents from the US Federal Court but his Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst, confirmed that he is aware of the article.
Antigua’s High Court has heard arguments challenging the validity of the Port Authority Amendment Act 2023, the legislation underpinning the government’s actions.
The government maintains that it had the authority to seize and sell the vessel.
Yulia contends that she is the rightful owner of the Alfa Nero and has initiated several other legal proceedings challenging the Antigua and Barbuda government’s seizure and subsequent sale of the yacht.
Flying Dutchman Overseas Limited has also laid claim to the Alfa Nero, asserting ownership rights and challenging the constitutionality of the Antiguan government’s actions regarding the vessel.
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