Russian heiress of Phosagro, FAO partner, accuses Antigua of corruption over sanctioned father’s superyacht sale

 ROME - The daughter of Kremlin-linked billionaire Andrey Guryev, founder of Russian fertiliser giant and FAO partner Phosagro, has accused the Antiguan government of corruption over their sale of her sanctioned father’s superyacht, according to Antiguan media.

 In her latest court filings, Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhova accuses Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne of negotiating a dllrs 6 million bribe after seizing the Alfa Nero in 2023, claiming he then orchestrated a corrupt scheme to sell the sanctioned vessel for dllrs 60 million below its estimated market value, according to independent Russian media reports.

 Browne’s government has strongly denied the claims, calling the latest court filings a “desperate attempt to mislead the people of Antigua and Barbuda”.

 Guryeva-Motlokhova's years-long multi-jurisdiction effort to recover Alfa Nero took a significant blow in March this year when a US court quashed her attempt to obtain banking records she claimed would prove her claims against Browne.

 Antigua, which forms part of the Commonwealth Caribbean, seized Alfa Nero following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, eventually selling the sanctioned megayacht to Turkish magnate Ali Riza Yildirim for dllrs 40 million.

 PhosAgro founder Andrey Guryev has been subject to Western sanctions since 2022, with the U.S. authorities previously identifying the 66-year old oligarch as a "close associate” of Vladimir Putin.

 The UK authorities updated Yulia Guryeva-Motlokhova's sanction designation last week, noting that the PhosAgro heiress was still subject to an asset freeze and transport sanctions because of her association with her Putin-linked father.

 Despite these sanctions, the Guryev family continue to own just under 50 percent of the fertilizer giant, allowing them to benefit from a loophole that permits firms to operate freely in EU markets so long as sanctioned individuals hold less than half the company’s shares, according to the Russian Insider.

 Food and Agriculture Organisation Director-General Qu Dongyu has faced criticism for accepting funding from the oligarch-founded company, with some FAO observers accusing him of having a sympathetic stance toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

 PhosAgro has donated over 5 million U.S. dollars to the Rome-based agency in recent years, with the two previously signing multiple cooperation agreements. Just last December, the fertiliser company was awarded an 'FAO Technical Recognition Award’ by the organisation.