Antigua and Barbuda Addresses Chair of the Permanent Council Regarding Alfa Nero Smear Campaign

By Shermain Bique-Charles

Email: [email protected]

The Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the Organization of American States (OAS) recently addressed concerns regarding a smear campaign targeting the government, fueled by opposition forces amid ongoing discussions about the Alfa Nero yacht sale.

In a formal communication to the Chair of the Permanent Council, the Mission aimed to clarify misconceptions arising from inflammatory statements displayed on a truck near the OAS headquarters.

The letter emphasized that while Antigua and Barbuda is not currently involved in any civil proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, it has been inadvertently drawn into a case linked to an applicant seeking to subpoena the government.

This applicant, related to a Russian national under international sanctions, is attempting to utilize U.S. legal avenues to support a private legal matter involving the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The Permanent Mission accused the applicant’s team of shifting focus from legal processes to a public smear campaign, characterized by misleading social media posts, a false website, and provocative displays timed with the Prime Minister’s official visit to the U.S. for discussions that included multiple Caribbean leaders and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The Mission characterized these actions as deliberate attempts to mislead the public and pressure the Antiguan government, stressing that such tactics reflect a broader strategy to undermine sovereign states through disinformation rather than legitimate legal action.

In closing, the Permanent Mission requested that the details of this situation be shared with member states and permanent observers, ensuring transparency and clarity regarding the ongoing issues affecting the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

See full letter below:

Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the Organization of American States

PM/22/25

The Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the Organization of American States (OAS) presents its compliments to the Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS and has the honour to advise as follows:

Several delegations have expressed curiosity regarding the appearance of a truck in the vicinity of the OAS headquarters, prominently displaying false and inflammatory statements concerning the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.

In the interest of transparency and to dispel speculation, my delegation provides the following clarification:

Although the Government of Antigua and Barbuda is not the subject of an ongoing civil matter before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, it has been drawn into the case by the applicant, who has filed suit against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The applicant, who is a relative of a Russian national currently subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, is seeking to subpoena the Government of Antigua and Barbuda under a statute that permits discovery in aid of foreign legal proceedings.

Rather than focusing their efforts on lawful process, the applicant’s team appears to have launched a public campaign aimed at smearing and pressuring the Government. This has included a series of misleading social media posts, the creation of a false website and, most recently, the appearance of the truck in Washington, D.C. bearing similar disinformation.

That these theatrics coincided with the official visit of the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda – alongside six other Caribbean Heads of Government – for discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is unlikely to be mere coincidence. It reflects a calculated attempt to distort public perception and to pressure a sovereign government through spectacle rather than substance.

In assuring the Chair of the Permanent Council of its highest consideration, the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda requests that this Note be circulated to the Missions of Member States and Permanent Observers.

Washington, DC

7 May 2025

Chair of the Permanent Council of the OAS

OAS Headquarters

Washington, DC