Senior Counsel makes call for responsible reporting regarding the Alfa Nero case

Senior Counsel Tony Astaphan is advising media houses, locally and regionally to be responsible in reporting on the Alfa Nero matters especially as the core of the discissions concern allegations which are not facts or objectively verifiable.  

He said this is an essential requirement under   our constitutional framework of freedom of expression, which protects the rights and reputations of others including elected public officials. Any other approach is contrary to the public interest.

While he did not name any media house, Astaphan, speaking on the Browne and Browne Show over the weekend, expressed his displeasure with the republication and dissemination of mere allegations, premised as they are on unnamed sources, and other misinformation being published or shared on radio, social media, and the Internet.

He added that the re-publication of allegations of misconduct and corruption are libelous.

SC clarified that the allegations made are not facts, that the motions to quash the subpoenas were not dismissed, and that Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s and the other interested parties’ financial accounts have not been published publicly or otherwise as was being widely alleged.  

He further explained that any  receipt of documents has to be strictly controlled under the Judge’s order that the documents must be limited to attorneys’ eyes only, and the terms of a protective order to be approved by the Judge. SC also emphasized that

“Importantly, the Judge also ordered that if the motions to quash the subpoenas are granted, then these documents must be destroyed”

Astaphan went on to say:

“When you listen to and read some of the comments being made on the radio station, social media and the Internet you are getting the impression that the motions to quash were dismissed, full discovery has taken place, and that all hell is going to break loose now. None of this is true”

Indeed, he said all of this misinformation could have been avoided if the disseminators had merely read the Order of the Judge. He is calling on those people, media houses and others who fabricate the stories or are pushing misinformation on the respective media to desist and act responsibly.

The Alfa Nero saga continues, as the government of Antigua and Barbuda makes every effort to show transparency regarding their dealings with the vessel.

The Prime Minister maintains that he has no regrets about the transaction, citing a necessity to avoid potential disaster, and a legal obligation that was carefully and thoroughly justified. It remains to be seen what – if any – political and socio-economic backlash awaits as the situation develops.