The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, The Right Honourable Gaston Browne has issued the following statement:

My attention has been drawn to an online article posted by an entity called National News Brief, bearing the headline ‘Antiguan Prime Minister Defamation Lawsuit Against U.S. Law Firm Backfires”. The article is currently being circulated on social media in Antigua and Barbuda and makes a series of false and misleading claims about my conduct and the Government’s handling of the sale of the superyacht Alfa Nero.

Let me state the facts clearly.

The Alfa Nero was seized by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda pursuant to legislation duly enacted by Parliament, following the vessel’s abandonment in our waters in the wake of international sanctions imposed on its Russian-linked ownership. The yacht was subsequently auctioned in July 2024 for approximately US$40 million, and those proceeds were applied to legitimate Government obligations, including debts owed to regional financial institutions. There is no missing money.

The article attempts to portray ongoing litigation as evidence that my personal finances are being ‘exposed’ by courts in the United States. This is deliberately misleading. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in March 2026 in favour of myself and other Antiguan officials, upholding the quashing of subpoenas that sought to compel American banks to produce financial records. The very discovery effort that the article presents as an expanding threat to my administration was rejected by the highest federal appellate court to consider it. That is not a ‘backfire’ — that is vindication.

The article further mischaracterises my defamation proceedings against the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner and attorney Martin De Luca. I initiated those proceedings because reckless and false public statements were made by foreign lawyers — acting on behalf of sanctioned Russian interests — that impugned my integrity and that of my Government. Seeking legal redress for defamation is the proper and lawful course of action. It is not, as the article implies, a strategic error.

I am also concerned about how this article is being spread. The link that people are receiving and forwarding does not go directly to the article — it first passes through a third-party commercial tracking system that records who clicks on it and monitors how widely it is shared. This is not how a legitimate news story circulates naturally. It is the hallmark of an organised, paid distribution campaign. Someone is deliberately pushing this article to the people of Antigua and Barbuda, and they do not want you to know who that someone is.

My Government acted in the national interest when we seized and sold the Alfa Nero. The courts in the United States have confirmed our right to do so. I will not be distracted from the work of governing this country by orchestrated disinformation campaigns, and I will continue to pursue all appropriate legal remedies against those who make false and damaging statements about me and my administration. (ends)

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Prime Minister Browne Sets the Record Straight on Alfa Nero — U.S. Appeals Court Already Ruled in Antigua's Favour.