Russian billionaire’s yacht sale triggers $6M bribery claim vs Antigua PM
A Florida court filing alleges that Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne personally orchestrated a $6 million bribe related to the sale of the seized Russian-linked superyacht Alfa Nero.
The filing was submitted by Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhova, daughter of sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev. She claims Browne directed a scheme to sell the vessel at roughly $60 million below its estimated market value, News.Az reports, citing The Moscow Times.
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The Alfa Nero was anchored off Antigua when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The yacht was not on the US sanctions list at that point, yet Antigua and Barbuda authorities blocked it from leaving territorial waters for months.
Andrey Guryev is a Russian billionaire businessman and former executive at PhosAgro, a major Russian producer of phosphate-based fertilizers used in agriculture. He also served as a Federation Council senator for Murmansk Region from 2001 to 2013.
In August 2022, the US Treasury sanctioned Guryev, describing him as part of a group of "Kremlin-connected elites" and a close associate of the Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Browne's government sold the yacht in July 2024 to Turkey's Yildirim Group, a major construction and shipping conglomerate, for $40 million. The plaintiffs value the vessel at approximately $120 million and note that former Google CEO Eric Schmidt had earlier offered $67 million in a deal that collapsed.
Browne has drawn criticism for statements observers describe as aligned with Moscow, and he has been one of the few world leaders to repeatedly attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
"If I were a Ukrainian leader, I would not subject my people and my country to the destruction that accompanies NATO membership," he stated.
Browne has also rejected the position that Putin launched the war to annex Ukrainian territory, arguing instead that the Russian leader cannot accept NATO on his borders.
Guryeva-Motlokhova first brought litigation in 2023, accusing officials in Antigua and Barbuda of orchestrating a corruption scheme to seize and misappropriate the yacht after its forced stay in port.
Her legal team includes David Costello of Boies Schiller Flexner, a former deputy solicitor general of Florida. The attorneys have stated that their investigation has uncovered indicators of "widespread corruption and illegal activity" within the Browne administration that extend well beyond the Alfa Nero transaction.
The plaintiff, who resides in the United Arab Emirates, has indicated her intention to seek protection from Emirati authorities. She also plans to pursue criminal proceedings against Browne under UAE law for alleged offenses committed against her abroad.
The Alfa Nero is not the only Russian-linked superyacht to surface in cross-border disputes in recent weeks.
The Nord, a 142-meter yacht tied to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov, passed through the Strait of Hormuz in late April despite Iran's earlier closure of the waterway. The vessel departed Dubai on April 24 and crossed the strait overnight.
Several other vessels also passed during the same window, including two tankers under US sanctions, five cargo ships, and a passenger ferry.
The transit followed earlier reports that Iran had made exceptions for Russian-linked ships despite the broader maritime limits.
By Ulviyya Salmanli
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