A U.S. judge has authorized subpoenas seeking testimony and records from the son of Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne and several others in connection with alleged corruption surrounding the sale of the seized superyacht Alfa Nero.
In an oder issued on September 7th in federal court in Miami, U.S. Magistrate Judge Marty Fulgueira Elfenbein granted an application by Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, a Russian citizen residing in the United Arab Emirates, to pursue discovery for use in legal proceedings overseas.
The order authorizes Guryeva-Motlokhov to subpoena Gaston Andron Browne III, the prime minister’s son, for testimony and documents relating to the sale.
She may also seek testimony and documents from Cromwell Littlejohn, identified in the application as president and chief commercial officer of Northrop & Johnson Yachts-Ships LLC, which allegedly brokered the transaction.
The judge further authorized records-only subpoenas directed at corporate representatives of Northrop & Johnson Yachts-Ships LLC, Fraser Yachts Florida Inc. and MarineMax Inc., as well as property developer Warren Halle, who previously sought to purchase the yacht.
The individuals and companies targeted by the proposed discovery are believed to be based in Florida.
Guryeva-Motlokhov said she intends to use the evidence in proceedings in Antigua and Barbuda, Russia and the UAE concerning the Antiguan government’s 2023 seizure of the Cayman Islands-registered, 266-foot Alfa Nero.
According to her application, the yacht was sold the following year for US$40 million—an amount she claimed was approximately US$60 million below its market value—to a Maltese company allegedly owned by Turkish billionaire Ali Riza Yildirim.
The application also alleged that Prime Minister Browne “personally negotiated a US$6 million kickback.”
“Nearly four years ago, the Alfa Nero docked in Antigua and Barbuda,” Guryeva-Motlokhov stated in her application. “Once in port, the yacht was detained by Antiguan authorities, seized under the pretext that it had been ‘abandoned’ (pursuant to newly passed, targeted legislation), and sold personally by Prime Minister Browne in a private sale for substantially below fair market value in a quiet, off-market transaction.”
She added: “Applicant has diligently pursued redress for this injury and is seeking justice in multiple foreign courts, including in Antigua, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates—i.e., where the seizure occurred, where Applicant is a citizen, and where Applicant resides.”
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