Prime Minister Gaston Browne, members of his family, and the West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) have secured a significant legal victory in the United States Court of Appeals in the ongoing Alfa Nero litigation.
The appellate court upheld an earlier District Court ruling, rejecting an application by Russian national Yulia Guryeva for discovery and quashing subpoenas issued to both The Clearing House and the US Federal Reserve. The ruling, confirmed by prominent international attorney Paul Reichler, effectively blocks Guryeva's legal team from accessing key financial records — a decisive setback in her efforts to pursue the matter through US courts.
All documents previously obtained by Guryeva's attorneys under those subpoenas must now be destroyed, with formal certification required to confirm compliance. Reichler added that the legal team representing Antigua and Barbuda will now explore the possibility of recovering costs incurred during the appellate process.
While Guryeva retains the option of petitioning the US Supreme Court, Reichler described the likelihood of such an appeal being accepted as extremely remote. "There is no appeal as of right to the Supreme Court. It is entirely within the court's discretion, and the likelihood of this case being taken up is less than one in a thousand," he said, noting that her attorneys are not expected to pursue that route.
Prime Minister Browne welcomed the outcome and indicated that further legal action is already underway. "As you are aware, I have countersued Martin De Luca and his law firm. The law firm Boies Schiller was served, but Martin has gone into hiding," Browne said. He is seeking damages totaling US$10 million in the countersuit.
The 267-foot superyacht Alfa Nero first arrived at Falmouth Harbour in February 2022, where it sat idle for more than a year amid international sanctions tied to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. With the vessel left unattended and costs mounting, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda deemed it a hazard and initiated steps to take control of the yacht under the Port Authority Act.
By March 2023, officials signaled their intention to sell the vessel, citing the growing financial burden of its upkeep and security. Legal disputes over ownership caused delays, but the yacht was ultimately auctioned in June 2023 and purchased by US billionaire Eric Schmidt for US$67.6 million.
The matter has remained entangled in legal battles across multiple jurisdictions since the sale. Several claimants — including the daughter of the yacht's alleged owner — have challenged both the seizure and the auction, keeping the dispute active in courts in Antigua and the United States.
Prime Minister Browne has consistently maintained that the government's actions were lawful and necessary, arguing that the decision to seize and sell the vessel was taken in the country's best interest.
