Antigua News Hit With US$27 Million Lawsuit in Cross-Border Defamation Case Filed by Boris Latour

PRESS RELEASE: Boris Latour Initiates Cross-Border Criminal and Civil Actions Following Defamatory Publications
Official Statement from International Counsel

Mr. Boris Latour has initiated criminal and civil proceedings in Switzerland and in Antigua and Barbuda arising from a series of publications issued by Antigua News in February 2025 and January 2026.

Prior to commencing proceedings, formal pre-action notices dated 10 February 2026 and 16 February 2026 were served on the publisher. Those notices:

• Transmitted certified judicial documentation confirming that no criminal proceedings exist in France concerning Mr. Latour;
• Provided detailed factual clarifications addressing each material allegation;
• Recalled that, under applicable defamation law, the burden of proof rests with the party making criminal imputations; and
• Required withdrawal of the allegations and preservation of relevant evidence.

The publisher declined to withdraw the content and left the final formal notice unanswered.

The matter is now before the competent courts.

The proceedings concern the publication and dissemination of a series of grave and unfounded allegations.

The courts will examine, among other matters:

• The origin and factual basis of the allegations;
• The editorial and approval processes preceding publication;
• Communications and coordination prior to dissemination;
• Any financial or promotional arrangements connected to the publications;
• Any AI-related or digital manipulation of media content;
• The use of paid promotion or amplification mechanisms; and
• Any structural or institutional conflicts of interest within the publishing entity.

Preservation obligations have been formally triggered. Relevant communications, drafts, metadata, advertising records, and dissemination data are subject to judicial review in accordance with applicable law.

The evidentiary record submitted to the courts includes analysis of the roles and relationships of:

• Mr. Jean Pierre Latour, engaged in a longstanding private dispute with Mr. Boris Latour, including repeated denunciatory correspondence addressed to media outlets and institutions;
• Mr. Ayoub Kordane, a former collaborator whose dismissal followed serious professional incompatibilities and whose credibility is currently subject to criminal complaints in multiple jurisdictions, including allegations of attempted extortion and defamation;
• Mr. Timothée Bauer, against whom criminal complaints have been filed by Mr. Latour, and whose prior documented financial and professional interactions with Mr. Latour — including financial support that remains unreimbursed — form part of the evidentiary record;
• Mr. Dario Item, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda and publicly disclosed beneficial owner and controlling figure of Antigua News, whose institutional role and potential structural conflicts are included within the scope of judicial examination.

The courts will determine:

• The factual basis, if any, of the published allegations;
• Whether journalistic due diligence was respected;
• The existence of any coordination between cited individuals; and
• The extent of liability under applicable criminal and civil law.

Related proceedings include a damages claim currently valued at approximately USD 27,000,000, reflecting cumulative reputational injury and economic harm alleged to have resulted from the publications.

Mr. Latour categorically denies all criminal insinuations and material allegations contained in the publications.

He considers himself the victim of a sustained defamatory campaign extending over more than one year and has resolved to pursue full judicial clarification and accountability in all relevant jurisdictions.

He will not litigate through the press or media commentary.

He has chosen to address these matters exclusively through judicial process, where facts are determined on the basis of evidence and applicable law.

Further information will be communicated as proceedings advance.

Senior representatives of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda have been provided with relevant information in view of the institutional implications raised.

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