In a significant legal development, the United States Court of Appeals has delivered a decisive victory to Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne and multiple Antiguan entities by rejecting a Russian citizen’s attempt to obtain confidential financial documents through US courts.
The case originated from Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhov, daughter of sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev, who sought to subpoena financial records related to her father’s seized superyacht, the 267-foot Alfa Nero. The vessel was confiscated by the Antigua and Barbuda government in 2022 following international sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
Guryeva-Motlokhov had petitioned the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a Manhattan federal judge’s previous denial of her request for undisclosed financial documentation. She claimed these records were essential to challenge what she characterized as a ‘sham auction’ of the luxury vessel, which the Antiguan government had removed from sanctions lists in June 2023 specifically to facilitate its liquidation.
The Russian heiress further alleged in court filings that her investigators had uncovered evidence of ‘wide-ranging corruption and illegal activity’ within the Browne administration that extended beyond the yacht’s seizure and sale. These claims were presented as justification for the broad subpoena request targeting multiple Antiguan officials and entities.
The appellate court’s ruling affirmed the lower court’s decision, quashing the subpoenas that had been served on US financial institutions including the Clearing House and Federal Reserve. The court mandated that any documents already obtained by Guryeva-Motlokhov’s legal team must be destroyed, with evidence of destruction provided to the court.
Among the specific targets of the document request were Prime Minister Browne’s wife and son, Antigua’s general accountant, port manager, and several business entities including West Indies Oil Company Ltd (a government-majority-owned petroleum distributor) and Fancy Bridge Ltd, a Hong Kong-based investment firm with shares in the oil company.
According to state-owned ABS Television and Radio, legal representatives for Prime Minister Browne are now exploring options to recover legal costs incurred during the appellate process, adding financial consequence to the legal defeat for the Russian claimant.