While some staunch supporters of Prime Minister Gaston Browne greeted the news of new filings by Yulia Guryeva Motlokhov in the High Court with skepticism, last week – with some discrediting it as “fake news” – details of those filings have now been revealed.
The application, filed on February 2, 2026, through the law firm of Hill & Hill, names as defendants: the Port Authority manager; the director of the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping (ADOMS); and, of course, the attorney-general of Antigua and Barbuda.
According to the documents, the application before the Court seeks permission “to adduce fresh evidence in support of” Guryeva Motlokhov’s claim that the seizure and sale of the Motoryacht Alfa Nero was not legal.
On Tuesday, February 10, the High Court is expected to deliver judgment in the November 2024 trial on this matter. However, what Guryeva Motlokhov seeks to do now is submit the “fresh evidence” – which was not available at the time of trial – for consideration ahead of the decision.
Reports say this new evidence was gleaned from records submitted by the firm of Northrop & Johnson – which brokered the sale of the vessel – through Discovery efforts authorized by the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida in July 2025.
Exhibits in the new filings are submitted in a 298-page document that also identifies local key players in the disputed sale transaction.
According to earlier reports, legal proceedings in the Alfa Nero seizure and sale matter have already been filed in Russia and are pending in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The outcome of the Antigua and Barbuda case is expected to have significant impacts on these foreign filings, as well as the United States matter.
REAL News will continue to follow this story.
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