The government of Antigua and Barbuda has released a statement lauding the dismissal of criminal charges filed against its resident Calvin Ayre in the United States.

The statement from the Antigua and Barbuda government emphasized that Mr. Ayre was a victim of the United States' wanton disregard of a legally-binding ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In March 2004, the WTO ruled that the US government, by outlawing access of cross-border gaming, violated its treaty obligations to Antigua and Barbuda, under the General Agreement on Trade in Services. In 2007, the WTO instructed the Antigua and Barbuda government that it may sell US intellectual property as a means to recover the trade losses it incurred. The WTO estimated that Antigua and Barbuda incurred a loss of US$21 million annually due to the failure of the US to abide with the 2004 WTO ruling.

The statement said that “in this context, Calvin Ayre and all other Antigua and Barbuda licensed gaming operators, who were indicted in the United States on Internet Gaming charges, are victims not culprits.”

Over the past decade, the Antigua and Barbuda government has engaged the US government to settle the issue in an amicable manner. However, these efforts failed to produce any tangible results. The government of the Caribbean nation said that it will raise the issue before the WTO Dispute Settlement Body this year if there is no appropriate action by the US.

The dropping of charges against Mr. Ayre is a victory for Antigua and Barbuda which has been struggling to demand reparation from the damages brought by the US by willfully disregarding a binding WTO ruling.

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