ANTIGUA | U.S. Court Strips Away PM Browne's Shield in International Corruption Probe

ST.JOHN,  Antigua, April 24, 2025 - In a stunning rebuke to Antigua and Barbuda's political establishment, a U.S. federal court has cleared the path for investigators to follow the money in what could become the most significant corruption probe to engulf Prime Minister Gaston Browne's administration.

Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York has lifted a temporary block on subpoenas targeting international wire transfers linked to Browne, his family members, and a web of associates – effectively tearing down the legal barricades erected to shield their financial dealings from scrutiny.

The April 22 ruling represents a pivotal moment in the high-stakes legal battle surrounding the controversial seizure and sale of the luxury yacht Alfa Nero. Russian businesswoman Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, who claims rightful ownership of the vessel, has been fighting to obtain critical financial documents she believes will expose corruption in the yacht's 2024 sale by the Antiguan government.

"This is a strong blow against efforts to delay the truth," declared attorneys for Guryeva-Motlokhov, whose legal team successfully argued that further obstruction would only serve to hamper the discovery process. The court's decision came after meticulously weighing privacy concerns against the urgent need for transparency in a matter fraught with political implications.

In his decision, Judge Furman dismissed attempts to quash the subpoenas as lacking merit, though he acknowledged privacy sensitivities by imposing an "Attorneys'-Eyes-Only" restriction on the forthcoming financial records.

This stringent confidentiality measure means only legal counsel may view the information unless the court specifically orders otherwise – a compromise that allows the investigation to proceed while preventing premature public disclosure.

The ruling sends financial investigators diving into records connected to 19 individuals and entities, including not just the Prime Minister, but also his wife, Minister Maria Browne, his son Gaston Andron Browne III, the West Indies Oil Company Ltd (WIOC), and several other Antigua-based businesses and individuals allegedly linked to questionable transactions.

For Prime Minister Browne, whose administration appears increasingly besieged, the court's decision lands like a diplomatic bombshell.

His legal team had argued that releasing the financial records would constitute an unconscionable invasion of privacy, but the court found such concerns vastly outweighed by other factors – particularly given that the subpoenas target wire transfers involving third parties rather than personal or governmental records.

According to court filings, the Prime Minister's response to the investigation has been anything but diplomatic. Guryeva-Motlokhov's attorneys informed the court that Browne has engaged in intimidation tactics and vulgar online attacks against opposing counsel. They cited his public threats of multi-million-dollar defamation lawsuits against the applicant, journalists, and even D. Gisele Isaac, chairman of the opposition party.

This atmosphere of intimidation formed a central pillar of the applicant's argument for lifting the stay. Her legal team contended that any "modest privacy interests" claimed by the defendants paled in comparison to the "substantial injury" their client faces if the investigation remains stalled – particularly as Browne appears poised to "follow through on his pronouncements" to sue Guryeva-Motlokhov for filing the action.

The timing of this legal showdown has heightened its political significance, with observers noting the matter could intensify amid speculation of a snap general election in Antigua and Barbuda.

Guryeva-Motlokhov's attorneys didn't hesitate to characterize the Prime Minister's attacks as part of a broader political campaign, accusing him of "vilifying" their client and her counsel ahead of a likely election.

Given these high stakes, the court agreed that expediency trumped delay, ruling that "the court should move the matter forward expeditiously" in light of the "significant public interest in Antigua and Barbuda."

The legal machinery now shifts into its next gear, with Judge Furman giving the parties until April 25, 2025, to submit a finalized protective order governing the handling of the forthcoming evidence.

The order stipulates that should a future motion to quash the subpoenas succeed, all obtained documents must be destroyed – a safeguard that acknowledges the extraordinary sensitivity of financial records potentially implicating a sitting prime minister.

As both sides prepare for the next phase of proceedings, one thing is certain: the walls of financial secrecy surrounding the Browne administration have begun to crack, and whatever flows through those fissures could reshape Antigua and Barbuda's political landscape for years to come.

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