A trust company based in Guernsey which claims that it owns the infamous Alfa Nero luxury yacht has applied to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal to stop the auction of the vessel scheduled for Friday 16^th June. The application was filed on Wednesday in hopes that it would stop the sale of the Russian-affiliated vessel.

Last week, the High Court gave the owners permission to seek a judicial review of the government’s proposition to sell the Alfa Nero to the highest bidder, but it did not stop the sale of the yacht.

“Our clients are pleased that the High Court granted permission for judicial review on the basis that the proposed sale of the yacht may be unlawful, but disappointed that the High Court did not also grant an injunction to stop the sale going ahead until the legality of what the government is proposing can be properly considered by the courts,” said Andrew O’Kola, attorney-at-law for the yacht’s owners.

He said in the application, the owners are asking the court of appeal to grant an emergency injunction but added that “To be clear, however, whether the auction goes ahead tomorrow or not, anyone intending to bid for the yacht needs to know that the government’s argument that it has the legal power to transfer ownership of the yacht to a purchaser is still the subject of an ongoing challenge in the courts.”