{"id":267249,"date":"2026-02-15T17:28:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=267249"},"modified":"2026-02-15T17:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:28:17","slug":"pm-says-no-evidence-that-ambassador-hesse-did-anything-illegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/pm-says-no-evidence-that-ambassador-hesse-did-anything-illegal\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Says No Evidence that Ambassador Hesse did anything Illegal"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PM Says No Evidence of Illegality but Fires Ambassador Johann Hesse Over Undisclosed Commission<\/p>

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Prime Minister Gaston Browne says he does not believe Ambassador Johann Hesse engaged in any illegal conduct, but confirmed that Hesse was fired after failing to disclose a $450,000 commission paid to his business partner in connection with the 2024 sale of the Alfa Nero yacht.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking for several minutes on his Browne and Browne<\/em> programme on Pointe FM, Browne said Cabinet carefully examined the circumstances surrounding the commission and concluded that \u201con the face of it\u201d the transaction did not appear to be corrupt.<\/p>

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\u201cThere\u2019s no evidence of illegality,\u201d Browne said, explaining that Hesse and his business partner, Rufus Gobat, claimed the payment arose from a longstanding private business relationship with U.S.-based brokerage firm Northrop & Johnson.<\/p>

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According to Browne, the government had \u201cabsolutely no knowledge\u201d of any arrangement between Northrop and Hesse or Gobat during the sale process. He said the matter first surfaced months ago when legal correspondence from U.S. attorney Martin De Luca alleged that members of his family benefited from a commission related to the sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt that time, we thought it was a total fabrication,\u201d Browne said, noting that neither he nor Cabinet had been informed of any such payment.<\/p>

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The prime minister said the government formally mandated Darwin Telemaque to pursue the yacht\u2019s sale and held no discussions with Hesse or Gobat about representing the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe never held any discussion with them about representing the government,\u201d Browne said. \u201cAgain, we just have no knowledge of that transaction.\u201d<\/p>

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The existence of the $450,000 commission only became clear, Browne said, after documents were filed in court indicating that Hesse and Gobat had benefited from the payment.<\/p>

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During a Cabinet meeting last Wednesday, Hesse appeared with Gobat online to explain the situation. Browne said Hesse stated that Gobat had maintained a relationship with Northrop for over a decade and that Northrop agreed to pay them 25 percent of its net commission for introducing a client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister emphasized that the government\u2019s payment to Northrop \u2014 negotiated down from an initial nine percent demand to five percent, or roughly US$2 million \u2014 was standard practice when dealing with a broker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s standard operating procedure that when there\u2019s a broker, they have to be paid a commission,\u201d Browne said, adding that the government acted appropriately in paying Northrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the arrangement between Northrop and Gobat was a private matter of which the government had no prior knowledge and could not speak definitively about how it was structured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne said Cabinet also reviewed claims that Gobat collected the funds, declared them to U.K. authorities and paid taxes on the earnings. While he said he suspects Hesse may have benefited from the arrangement, he acknowledged that Hesse described it as part of the way he earns a living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Browne, Hesse explained that he and Gobat operate what he described as a \u201cconcierge service,\u201d providing services for commissions. Browne noted that Hesse has served as an unpaid ambassador to the African Union since 2014 and does not receive a government salary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe said that that is how he makes his living,\u201d Browne told listeners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite finding no evidence of corruption, Browne said Cabinet took issue with Hesse\u2019s failure to disclose the commission sooner, especially given that the matter had been circulating publicly for months and was referenced in legal filings involving the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister said earlier disclosure would have allowed the government to respond more accurately instead of dismissing the claims as fabricated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt least he could have said to us,\u201d Browne said, explaining that Cabinet believed Hesse had an obligation to notify government officials once the matter entered the public domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, Browne said Cabinet decided last Wednesday to relieve Hesse of his ambassadorial appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo what the Cabinet decided last Wednesday was to relieve him of his ambassadorial appointment,\u201d Browne said, adding that he is uncertain whether any further action can be taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just an issue that we felt that he should have notified some of the members,\u201d Browne said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reiterated that there is no evidence the transaction involved public funds beyond the government\u2019s standard brokerage commission payment to Northrop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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