Prime Minister Gaston Browne has strongly denied allegations that he personally negotiated a US$6 million kickback linked to the sale of the seized superyacht Alfa Nero, threatening legal action against the publisher behind the claims. According to Antigua.news, the allegations were published by David Marchant, publisher of financial watchdog platform OffshoreAlert, and have sparked a sharp public response from the Prime Minister.
Browne dismissed the claims as entirely without foundation and politically motivated. "It's totally untrue. Not a scintilla of evidence to that effect," he told Antigua.news on Tuesday afternoon.
The Prime Minister went further, accusing those behind the allegations of orchestrating a deliberate smear campaign intended to damage his personal reputation and undermine Antigua and Barbuda's standing internationally. "These people are paid mercenaries who seeking to hold individual's hostage and to extract money by peddling false information," Browne said in an interview with Shermain Bique-Charles.
Browne also signalled that legal action is being considered against Marchant and others involved in circulating the allegations. "He may just get a suit, just like the others I have sued for defamation," he added.
The Alfa Nero has drawn significant international attention since Antigua and Barbuda seized and subsequently sold the luxury vessel after it was abandoned in local waters. The seizure followed sanctions imposed on Russian elites in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. Government officials have consistently defended their handling of the matter, maintaining that the country acted lawfully and transparently throughout the process while avoiding the considerable financial burden of maintaining the mega-yacht.
Critics of OffshoreAlert have previously accused the platform of sensationalism and of publishing damaging allegations before matters are fully tested in court, particularly in politically sensitive disputes involving offshore finance and international asset recovery.
Browne and others were previously taken to court in New York, where an asset discovery order covering wire transfers through the US Clearing House and the Swift system was issued. No evidence of money laundering was found as a result of those proceedings.
