Unknown Russian Mavrodi writes again, chiding Government for disposal of contested yacht and accusing it of fraud

In a letter written to a parliamentary counsel and the editor of the
official Gazette, purported Russian Alexander Mavrodi, once again, is
claiming ownership of the Alfa Nero, the super yacht that was sold
this morning, June 16, by the Browne Administration through the
Port Authority.

The correspondence, circulated today, Friday, accuses the Antigua
and Barbuda Government of compiling “facts and conjectures in
public space” and providing “false, perlustrated information” about
the vessel.

Mavrodi also charges that the Administration “withholds important
knowledge from rightful recipients, and ignores legitimate
statements.”

The writer goes further and accuses this country of ignoring the law,
in general, and using “its sovereign institutions for the dubious
purposes of privatizing property for profit of [an] unknown circle.”

Noting that the Antigua and Barbuda Government has failed to
acknowledge his claim and to proceed with the auction by following
certain protocols – including “vesting all possible claims in the
future on the owner, but not the sovereignty of Antigua and
Barbuda” – Mavrodi alleges that the Administration has involved
itself in fraud.

Interestingly, he notes that this country is “liable for its actions” and
will be “treated as a creditor to [the] legal owner whether the vessel
[is] sold or destroyed….”

He also implies that the Government’s actions have placed its ship
registry in question, and says the country is “[serving] as a lagoon
for dubious vessels in [the] contaminated legal environment of the
Caribbean.” And, he claims further, the “Bermuda aircraft registry
was destroyed [in] the same way in 2023.”

The letter states, as well, that the Government – rather than hold the
sale proceeds in trust – has “decided to pursue money but not
sovereignty and law.”

Mavrodi, who claims a Russian address, is not known to REAL News;
however, inquiries about his identity have led to the speculation
that he has been a regular guest at an exclusive resort, here, for
several years.

He first came to the notice of our Newsroom when, on March 17, he
emailed the United Progressive Party Secretariat, supporting the
Party’s cautions about the acquisition of the vessel, which, at the
time, was said to be owned by Russian oligarch Andrey Guryev.

In the email, Mavrodi definitively claimed ownership and said he
was interested in re-instituting “proper insurance of the vessel and
its crew.”

Guryev has since denied ownership of the yacht, and two other
entities recently filed court papers claiming the vessel and some of
its fittings, specifically works of art.