UPP MPs Accuse Government of Misusing Alfa Nero Funds

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Members of Parliament from the United Progressive Party (UPP) have issued a unified rebuke of the government’s handling of the Alpha Nero superyacht, accusing the administration of moral failure and financial opportunism.

In a rare show of solidarity, five UPP MPs — Jamal Pringle, Arjenon Watts, Richard Lewis, Sherfield Bowen, and Kelvin Simon — appeared together on Observer Radio over the weekend to voice their concerns over the controversial sale of the luxury vessel.

MP for St. Mary’s South, Kelvin Simon, said the proceeds from the yacht’s sale should have been directed to Ukraine, referencing the international sanctions that led to the seizure of the vessel in Antigua.

“Even if they went through with the sale, the government’s moral compass should have instructed them to give the money to the people of Ukraine,” Simon said.

“Why should Antigua benefit while Ukrainians are suffering from the effects of the war?”

Leader of the Opposition Jamal Pringle took the matter further, suggesting that the government’s decision may have been driven by its urgent need to manage public debt.

“When you look at what the funds were used for — paying off bonds that should have already been up to date — it raises serious questions,” Pringle said.

“If we’re really on the verge of becoming an economic powerhouse, why did it take the Alpha Nero sale to pay those loans?”

MP Richard Lewis supported that claim, breaking down the figures associated with the sale. He said 80 million of the 108 million Eastern Caribbean dollars raised had gone directly toward debt payments.

“That’s the majority of the funds,” Lewis said.

“It suggests there was an ulterior motive from the start — to use the sale as an opportunity to pay down outstanding debts.”

St. Philip South MP Sherfield Bowen raised concerns about the Port Authority (Amendment) Act, introduced the same day Parliament debated the Alpha Nero issue.

He warned the new legislation could damage the country’s reputation among yacht owners and financiers.

“How can any boat owner or banker feel comfortable sending their vessel to Antigua when we have a law that allows the government to declare a vessel abandoned, sell it, and nullify the collateral?” Bowen asked.

The Alpha Nero case has divided public opinion along political lines.

But within the UPP — a party recently plagued by internal rifts — the issue appears to have brought about a rare moment of unity.

The government, for its part, has defended its handling of the matter and secured a recent legal victory in court. Prime Minister Gaston Browne continues to maintain he acted with integrity and dismissed the lawsuit filed against him and other officials as “frivolous”.

In a Facebook post dated 11 April, the Prime Minister described his opponents as “hapless, treasonous desperados”, writing: “Their hope for success shall end in gross disappointment, depression, and failure.

No weapon formed against those who God favours can prosper.”

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