CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
WIOC Faces US$200,000 in Legal Fees Amid Alfa Nero Case Fallout
The West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) is facing legal fees of approximately US$200,000 following its involvement in a U.S. court matter linked to the controversial sale of the Alfa Nero superyacht.
Prime Minister Gaston Browne disclosed the figure during his weekly radio appearance on Pointe FM, criticising the Parliamentary Opposition for what he described as “irresponsible” conduct that has led to mounting legal costs.
He said the case serves as a reminder of “how costly irresponsible opposition is to a country and its people.”
WIOC filed an unopposed request to intervene in the New York-based legal proceedings last month, after allegations involving the company surfaced in the matter.
The claims relate to sanctioned Venezuelan oil, though no evidence has been presented to substantiate them.
The Antigua and Barbuda government has already paid around US$136,000 in related legal expenses, bringing the total legal costs in the case to over EC$900,000.
At the centre of the case is Russian national Yulia Guryeva Motlokhov, who asserts she held an ownership stake in the Alfa Nero, which was sold by the Antiguan government in July 2023 for US$40 million.
She is seeking disclosure of confidential banking records linked to several Antiguan individuals and entities, including Prime Minister Browne.
Browne has accused the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) of collaborating with Guryeva Motlokhov, citing a declaration in the case that references discussions between UPP members and a private investigator known for making what the prime minister described as “a bevy of unsubstantiated allegations.”
U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman recently ruled that certain confidential financial documents may be disclosed on an “attorneys-eyes-only” basis as the case proceeds.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHAT’S APP GROUP
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
And, it’s only the discovery phase. Dry your crocodile tears Browne boi!
WIOC get ketch in big people problem now. That boat story still costing we?
This Alfa Nero saga like it na done. How long more taxpayers go be paying for this?
US$200K just in legal fees? That’s over half a million EC! Madness.
They should’ve had clearer legal advice before even touching that vessel.
So who go be held accountable? Or we just sweep dis one under the rug again?
All this could’ve been avoided if due diligence was done properly.
Gaston will blame his ED on the UPP too!
All this could’ve been avoided if they never had the intentions that they had. It wasn’t anything about due diligence.
We got the government we deserve. That is it, that is all.
We are going to tax the people of Antigua so they pay for these legal expenses, very stupid comrades.
We will have to pause the minimum wage increase, increase on imports and introduce more taxes in the coming months.
Upp mek you tEK the woman yatch? Grow up and admit you made a terrible decision. Pay your own legal fees. How dare you use the people resources as if it’s your own private account.
Weeerll boss stepped in a pile with this Alpha Nero.
By the way who is the contractor for the Weeerl Boss New house over Paradise View?
What makes us think that we could profit from this?
What you should have done was deducted the cost of maintenance firm the sale and out the proceeds in escrow.
Your mistake was using the funds to pay debts and treasury.
Your other mistake was not realizing that these people have more money than you could imagine so they have the funds to make this costly for you and the nation.
Just like how you like to use your wealth to tie others up legally, they are now doing the same to you.
Please don’t call me stupid moomoo and desensitize me into believing that WIOC is paying $200,000.00 USD fine for alpha Nero, please just say the stupid tax payers will be paying another $200,000.00 USD on the first $136,000.00 USD that was paid before, and that you will be shifting the payments from different statutory corporation to create the illusion to the public that it’s not government paying. All monies generated by the governmental system are the tax payers funds, so blah! Blah! You think antiguan stupid or as the days of the old people who knew no better? Guess you are going to say public works or CMC or nyamco going pay legal fees for alpha Nero boat next.
If the vessel was seized on behalf of the US government and its sanction then why aren’t they defendants in this lawsuit? Why aren’t they paying legal cost for Antigua?
WHAT THE HELL…! …SEEMS THE PM GOT IT SKEWED
***
LET NO ‘…FEEMONGERING ATTORNEYS (coined by commenter),’ MISGUIDE YOU, PM.’
***
WHY?
NONE OF THE NAMED PARTIES HAS:
(a) ‘…BEEN LITIGATED AGAINST:
***
(b) …NONE OF THE PARTIES HAS BEEN ‘SUBPOENAED: neither
(i) …TO ATTEND A US DISTRICT COURT: nor
(ii) …ORDERED TO HAND OVER BANK RECORDS OR DISCLOSED PRIVATE BANK ACCOUNTS: and
(iii) …NO JUDICIAL REVIEW HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR AGAINST THE PARTIES CONCERNED.’
***
BRIDGES YET TO CROSS
THESE BRIDGES ARE YET TO BE CROSSED.’
***
NOW:
FEEMONGERING ATTORNEYS:
THEY SHALL NOT BE PAINTED WITH A ‘…BROAD BRUSH.’
STILL, IT SHALL BE BLUNTLY SAID THAT A ‘…SMALL MINORITY’ THAT HAS BEEN SEEN AS AMONG THE MOST ‘…DANGEROUS AND FLEECING’ LEGAL PRACTITIONERS HAVE BEEN THOSE REPRESENTING:
(a) ‘…THE DULL AND IGNORANT:
(b) …THE SMART, CORRUPT AND CROOKED: and
(c) …THE INNOCENT AND FEINTHEARTED.’
THESE HAVE BEEN THE ONES:
(i) ‘…WITH APPEARANCES BEFORE THE COURTS: and
(ii) …THOSE PRACTICING IN CHAMBERS.’
***
FEESMONGERS:
THOSE ARE THE ‘…FEESMONGERS.
***
PROPERLY ADVISING CLIENTS:
MANY OF THESE ‘…FEESMONGERS’ APPEARED NOT TO HAVE BEEN PROPERLY ADVISING CLIENTS.’
***
UNDISPUTED FACTS:
IN THE INSTANT MATTER, THE AGGRIEVED PARTY HAS ONLY ASKED THE ‘…FOREIGN JURISDICTIONAL COURT TO ‘…ORDER CERTAIN UNITED STATES FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO SIMPLY:
***
(a) ‘…MAKE DISCLOSURE OF CERTAIN FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS CONDUCTED WITHIN THE COURT’S JURISDICTION: and/or
(b) …PROVIDE ACCESS TO CERTAIN BANK RECORDS AS THEY RELATE TO ‘…DISPATCHED REMITTANCES,’ TO PERSONS WHO MAY NOT EVEN BE THEIR CLIENTS.
***
PRELIMINARILY, THAT IS ALL.
***
NOW
THAT WHICH THOSE PARTIES, INCLUDING ‘…WEST INDIES OIL COMPANY (WIOC)’ WOULD FACE SUCH FEE,’ SHOULD IT:
‘…LITIGIOUSLY OBJECTS ON THE GROUNDS OF:
(a) …RIGHT TO BANK/CLIENT PRIVACY: and
(b) …CONFIDENTIALITY AND SECRECY.’
***
INJUNCTIVE RELIEF:
CONSEQUENTLY, ‘WIOC’ MAY FILE ONLY FOR:
(i) ‘…INJUNCTIVE RELIEF: that is
(ii) …FILE AN APPLICATION FOR THE COURT TO GRANT AN INJUNCTION AGAINST:
(a) ‘…DISCLOSURE: or
(b) …ACCESSING FINANCIAL BANKING RECORDS.’
***
THE LOGIC
NOW, THE ‘…LOGIC’ IN ALL THESE IS, SHOULD ‘WIOC’ SEEK ‘…NO INJUNCTIVE RELIEF,’ THEN IT WOULD NOT EVEN COST IT ‘…EC$1.00′ FOR LEGAL FEES.’
***
SHOULD IT FILE FOR SUCH, THEN MOST CERTAINLY, SUCH ‘…LEGAL FEES’ ARE POSSIBLE FOR RETAINING ‘…NON-FOREIGN LEGAL COUNSEL.’
***
CHALLENGES:
THE CASE OF FORMER TOURISM/DECEASED ‘TOURISM MINISTER:
(i) ‘…ASOT MICHAEL: and
(ii) …HIS DECEASED MOTHER,’ PREVIOUSLY HAD SIMILAR CHALLENGES:
***
[ATTORNEYS:
(i) ‘…ANTHONY ASTAPHAN: and
(ii) …JOHN FULLER
***
GOVERNMENT ATTORNEYS
(i) ‘…SIR GERALD WATT QC/KC: and
(ii) …DR. DAVID DORSETT.
***
(a) ‘…ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: and
***
(b) …BERMUDA BANK ACCOUNT/S.’
***
CASE CITATIONS:
(i) ‘…[2004]: ANUHCV0490: and
(ii) …[2009]: EASTERN CARIBBEAN SUPREME COURT: J0112-
***
WHAT THE HELL…?
NOT ONE OF THE ‘…FEESMONGERS’ CAN REFUTE THESE COMMENTS.
***
WIOC DEALS WITH ‘…OIL AND GAS.’
***
WHAT ELSE…?
***
ASK BOB…
***
WALK GOOD.
***
My contention is, where and when would all this end? For as long as this case continues , whatever the merit of it or not, are we prepared to continue paying these hefty legal fees as if we own a central bank? Wouldn’t it been easier and far less costly and contentious on the nation and tax payers to provide the requisite documentation that they asked for (lawyer to lawyer) such that this matter can end quickly and go away? We fight and we fight and we plunge Antigua and Barbuda into a deeper hole and greater financial hot water. How does that make sense? If the legal costs was coming out of the individual’s personal purse, would they have approached it the same way?
WHAT THE HELL…! …MY ESTEEMED FRIEND, ‘AP’
****
WELL, MY ESTEEMED FRIEND, THE ‘…LEGAL PROCEEDINGS’ ARE, REALLY NOT AGAINST THE ‘…NATION AND PEOPLE OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA.’
***
HAD IT BEEN SO, THEN THE …OFFICE OF ATTORNEY GENERAL WOULD HAVE BEEN SO JOINED WITH, ET AL.
***
THOSE CITED ARE INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR ‘…OWN PERSONA.’
****
TOP OF THE AFTERNOON, MY FRIEND.
***
WALK GOOD.
***
One just One Irresponsible Opposition have you backside so after you calk them incompetent and damaged as a party . UPP have you spending tax payers money to defend what you say is lies. Gaston nobody defend lies boss. You stink , you smell and it’s not fish its your stinky fingers. Look around all the assets you and your family has accrued in 11 years compared to your income
@Miron Reynolds 🤭🤭😆😆I had no idea, that Cavalier made a 200 PROOF Rum. Please help out your FRAT brother Gaston with a sip to calm his nerves. You can have Gaston send the bills to the THE ORANGE GUY, 666 Vampire Lane, Bloodville, USA 33333.
R U dooortish no rass.