A U.S. law firm being sued for defamation by Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne is seeking banking records to trace the proceeds of his government’s controversial US$40 million sale of the superyacht Alfa Nero, which was valued at up to US$105 million.
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and one of its partners, Martin De Luca, filed an application at federal court in New York on October 19 seeking permission to subpoena the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Clearing House Payments Company, and HSBC Bank USA.
The application seeks wire transfer records and other financial information concerning 12 individuals, identified as Riza Yildirim, Robert Yüksel Yildirim, Accountant General – Antigua, Gaston Alphonso Browne, his wife, Maria Bird-Browne; their son, Gaston Andron Browne III; Hyacinth Harris, Darwin Telemaque, Alkiviades David, Warren Halle, Johann Hesse, and Rufus Gobat, and 17 entities, identified as West Indies Oil Company Limited, IF Antigua Inc., Farmer DG Browne Co. Limited, Fancy Bridge Limited, 15500 Pines Boulevard LLC, Cove Head Development Limited, Cove Head Communications Limited, SwissX Redd UK Ltd., SwissX UK Ltd., Anakando SwissX AG, Global Bank of Commerce, Eastern Caribbean Amalgamated Bank, Caribbean Development Bank, Yildirim Group, YM Thunder 1 Shipping Limited, Yilport Holding, and Caribbean Lifestyle Services Limited.
“Applicants bring this Application on an ex parte basis,” it was stated in the application. “Applicants seek relief ex parte because there is a need to secure critical evidence that may otherwise be lost or destroyed, as this case involves significant allegations concerning the sale of the superyacht Alfa Nero by the Antiguan government, including the flow of sale proceeds and the involvement of highlevel officials who may seek to obstruct or conceal evidence if given notice. Immediate relief is essential to protect Applicants’ interests and prevent the loss of relevant evidence. Additionally, the ex parte filing ensures judicial efficiency, allowing the court to address the matter swiftly without procedural delays that could compromise the integrity of the discovery process. Given the gravity of the situation and the risk of irreparable harm, ex parte relief is both necessary and justified.”
The evidence is intended for use in a lawsuit that Browne filed against the law firm and De Luca in Antigua and Barbuda on February 13, 2026, alleging they defamed him by accusing him of corruption.
“Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Corporate Governance and Public Private Partnerships of Antigua and Barbuda, and the husband of the country’s Minister for Housing and Works, chose to put the money trail from his government’s sale of the Alfa Nero yacht on trial when he sued E. Martin De Luca and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP for statements questioning the details of that sale (the “Defamation Proceeding”),” it was stated in the application. “Browne claims that Applicants made false statements that fell into two categories: (1) those commenting on the small amount Antigua received for a BSF client’s yacht, and (2) those that purportedly suggested that Browne improperly diverted proceeds from the government sale for his personal gain.
“Those allegations make the circumstances of the sale and the disposition of the sale proceeds a central issue in the case. They also make the requested financial records indispensable.
“The principle is simple: a plaintiff who sues over allegedly false statements about money cannot withhold the money trail. Sections 20 and 22 of Antigua and Barbuda’s Defamation Act permit Applicants to defend the challenged statements by showing that they were substantially true or concerned a matter of public interest and were published with a reasonable belief that publication served that interest. Applicants therefore seek objective evidence of what happened to the funds surrounding the sale: wire-transfer and transaction records maintained by The Clearing House Payments Company LLC, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and HSBC Bank USA, N.A. Those institutions are in this District, are not parties to the Defamation Proceeding, and cannot be compelled by the Antiguan court. Section 1782 supplies the missing power.”
Browne alleges that De Luca made five defamatory statements concerning the government’s seizure and sale of the 82-meter Alfa Nero, including suggestions that the yacht was deliberately undervalued and that millions of dollars in sale proceeds had disappeared or been improperly diverted.
Boies Schiller Flexner and De Luca contend that the financial records are essential to establishing defenses of truth and public interest.
The Alfa Nero was beneficially owned through trusts connected to Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, who contested the Antiguan government’s seizure of the vessel in April 2023.
According to the application, a government-commissioned valuation placed the yacht’s value between US$60 million and US$105 million.
An auction in 2023 attracted a winning bid of US$67.6 million from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, but that transaction was not completed, it was stated.
In July 2024, the government sold the vessel for US$40 million to Turkish billionaires Ali Riza Yildirim and Robert Yuksel Yildirim, using a Maltese company, YM Thunder I Shipping Limited, it was stated.
The filing cites internal brokerage communications indicating that Browne personally participated in negotiations over the price.
One broker described the eventual transaction as the “deal of the century” and “ridiculous”, it was stated.
The application also highlights a US$450,000 commission connected to the sale of the yacht by the Antigua government.
According to documents cited in the filing, the commission was promised to Johann Hesse, Antigua’s then-ambassador to the African Union, and his business partner Rufus Gobat.
The payment was ultimately made to Caribbean Lifestyle Services Ltd., a company founded and owned by Gobat, it was stated. Browne subsequently dismissed Hesse after the commission became public, citing his failure to disclose the payment, it was stated
The applicants contend that banking records could establish whether additional payments were made and identify the ultimate recipients of funds connected to the sale.
Following the Antiguan government’s sale of the yacht, the new owner soon advertised it for sale again for €88.5 million, approximately US$104 million, more than two-and-a-half times the government’s selling price, according to the application.
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