ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, Nov 26, CMC – Prime Minister Gaston Browne is seeking US$10 million in damages over allegations made by a US-based attorney regarding the sale of the super yacht, Alpha Nero.
Lawyers for Prime Minister Browne also claim that their client has suffered “severe financial and reputational harm” over statements regarding the sale of the yacht and that his “attorneys’ fees and costs” be met on an “an indemnity basis.”
“It must be clearly understood that it is not our intention to restrict or censor your legitimate right to defend your client. However, our Client cannot allow you to use, or continue to use, completely baseless allegations, patently and absolutely false, and which he has consistently denied,” they wrote in the November 26, 2025, letter, a copy of which has been obtained by the Barbados-based Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC).
The Antigua and Barbuda government sold the seized superyacht in July 2024, after an initial attempt in June 2023 was delayed, following legal battles and sanctions against its alleged Russian oligarch owner.
The yacht was seized by the Antigua government in March 2022 after being abandoned in Falmouth Harbour due to its connection to sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev. Guryev has denied ownership, and his daughter, Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, claims to be the rightful owner.
In the eight-page letter sent to businessmen David Boies and Jonathan Schiller and attorney Martin DeLuca, the attorneys for Prime Minister Browne said that their client “is a widely known regional leader and political figure who has championed many regional and international issues”.
In addition, they said that he is the Chairman of the SIDS Commission on Climate Change and International Law that obtained a favourable advisory opinion on climate from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and that he has also chaired a United Nations expert group on the development of the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index.
“Our Client is also currently a governor of the World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank, and a member of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Monetary Council. Presently, he is the Incoming Chair in office for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2026, which will be held in Antigua and Barbuda, and the Chairman in office for Small Island States – Antigua & Barbuda Agenda for SIDS.”
In their letter, the law firm of Rika Bird & Associates wrote that on or about March 11, 2025, and thereafter, in relation to the sale of the yacht, attorney DeLuc, representing Guryeva-Motlokhova, as an agent and employee of Boies, Schiller, Flexner, “made several statements that were directed towards our client…which are highly defamatory”.
The lawyers claim that the attorney made the statements in an email to the publication known as Superyacht Investor, questioning the reported US$40 million sale price of the Alfa Nero yacht to a Turkish buyer in July 2024, especially since earlier bids, such as one from former Google chief executive officer, Eric Schmidt, for US$67 million, were significantly higher
“The clear imputation of this statement is that our Client is guilty of corruption, misappropriation of public funds, fraud, and/or misfeasance in public office.”
The lawyers also said that statements made to the local, regional and international media “in their natural and ordinary meaning, and in context, are understood to mean and otherwise infer that our Client in the discharge of his public officе as the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Corporate Governance dishonestly, corruptly and illegally appropriated millions of dollars from the sale of the vessel to and for his personal benefit, and therefore committed the criminal offences of corruption, breach of his fiduciary duties, fraud and misfeasance in public office contrary to law including the relevant anti-corruption Acts of Antigua and Barbuda”
They allege that the statements were made by DeLuca “intentionally to harm the reputation of our Client and/or recklessly without first seeking comments from our Client or presenting the allegations upon which you purported to rely, before making your baseless comments. “Further, your utterances and harm done to our Client were aggravated by the fact that you, as Counsel for a litigant, a member of a prestigious law firm, and an officer of the court, leveraged your professional standing to deliberately lend unwarranted credibility to these false and malicious allegations.
“Further, our Client has noted your reliance on the without notice order made in relation to the subpoenas. However, you failed to mention that the subpoenas were subsequently discharged and set aside by the learned Judge. Any implication of wrongdoing based on that initial order is therefore null and void.”
The lawyers claim that “your multiple allegations that our Client appropriated millions of dollars from the sale of the Alfa Nero yacht, as alleged or at all, are patently false and highly defamatory of our Client.
“More importantly, your defamatory statements were made, published, and re-published internationally and in Antigua and Barbuda despite the repeated denials by our Client to include the following publications:”
The lawyers wrote that the “continued and repeated publication of these demonstrably false allegations across numerous platforms (including publications in Antigua and Barbuda) evidences an intent to cause unwarranted professional and personal damage to our Client. “You repeatedly posted malicious statements about our Client with the intent to cause maximum damage to him, both personally and professionally, in every possible forum you could find to repeat your baseless statements.
“Our Client, therefore, believes that you intended or recklessly calculated that it would resound to your client’s and your personal benefit at the expense of our Client, by exposing him to hatred, contempt, and public ridicule personally, and as the holder of the Office of Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda and Minister of Finance and Corporate Governance.”
They said that the statements “have caused our Client severe financial and reputational harm” and that this is “unacceptable to him”.
The lawyers for Prime MInister Browne said that in the circumstances, their client is demanding that the attorney “immediately cease to have any of your false allegations published; Cause the words complained of to be removed from all the above-mentioned publications; cease from further publishing these or similar allegations concerning our Client in any forum or manner; Issue an apology to our Client in terms to be approved by us, on and in all the abovementioned publications over the electronic/social media, and on the front page of The Daily Observer Newspaper and all other above-mentioned newspapers
“Do be advised that should you fail to act as demanded, our Client will institute proceedings to seek compensation on the footing of aggravated damages and costs against you, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, and every person or entity responsible for publishing the statements with the words complained of by our Client.
“In the meantime, our client reserves all rights in respect of any further allegation which may be made by you,” the letter noted.
CMC/pr/ir/2025
See below the full pre-action protocol letter.