Cyprus Casino Resort Suing Turkish Media Firm for False Zelensky Report

Posted on: June 10, 2024, 10:16h. 

Last updated on: June 10, 2024, 10:43h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

A casino resort in Cyprus says it will take legal action against a Turkish media outlet for falsely reporting that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased the property.

Cyprus casino hotel Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
The rightful owner of a casino hotel in Cyprus says it will sue a Turkish media outlet for falsely reporting that the property had been sold to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. The report is speculated to be the work of Russian propagandists. (Image: Getty)

Turkish news site OdaTV reported earlier this month that Zelensky had acquired the Vuni Palace Hotel and its accompanying Viva! Casino. The resort is on Cyprus’ northern shore in the Mersin resort corridor.

OdaTV reported that Zelensky had bought the hotel and casino through his company Film Heritage Inc., which is registered offshore in Belize. OdaTV cited a website, casinohotelvunipalace.com, that showed Film Heritage at the bottom of the page as the parent entity to the destination.

The report was quickly discredited by Turkish, Cyprus, and Ukrainian officials. OdaTV later deleted the article from its website. But the damage was done, says the rightful owner of the Vuni Palace Hotel and Viva! Casino.

Legal Action Forthcoming

Vuni Palace Hotel and Viva! Casino is owned by Oscar Limited. Company owners say the website cited by OdaTV was fake, in English instead of Turkish, and was nonfunctional.

The website … where the name of the company with the title Film Heritage Inc. is mentioned in the news article is a fake website that has nothing to do with the official website of our hotel and where images whose copyright belongs to our company are used unauthorized and illegally,” the statement read. “ “Further legal action will be taken in this regard.”

Oscar Ltd. said Vuni Palace Hotel’s correct online presence is vunipalacehotel.com. The website offers text in Turkish, English, and German.

Company reps added that any sale of the resort would require approval from the Cyprus government and local officials. It would be dealt with in an open, transparent manner, they claim, not one in secrecy and not one involving the sale to a controversial figure.

OdaTV also cited in its report that Booking.com wasn’t facilitating reservations for Vuni Palace because the property was amid an ownership change. Oscar officials said that’s nonsense, as Booking.com is not permitted in Turkey.

“As it is known, the Booking.com website cannot be booked through Turkey due to the restrictions by the authorities in Turkey. It is well-known by everyone,” the Oscar statement explained.

As Casino.org reported on June 5, the Viva! Casino is a small gaming venue with 270 slot machines and 15 live dealer table games. The Vuni Palace Hotel has 170 rooms and six suites, three restaurants, a full-service spa, two outdoor pools, and other amenities.

Zelensky Falsehoods

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and the United States began directing tens of billions of dollars to help Ukraine defend itself, there have been numerous reports about Zelensky using the war money to enrich himself. Some of the more publicized rumors include Zelensky reportedly buying a $20 million mansion in Florida, two yachts for $123 million, and a $5.5 million pad in France’s Alpes-Maritimes.

The rumblings, political experts believe, are the work of propagandists in Russia seeking to discredit the Ukrainian government and its leader.

Forbes estimates Zelensky’s net worth to be around $20 million. Before entering politics, Zelensky worked in the entertainment industry.