Cyprus Casino Resort Files Lawsuit Against Turkish Media Company for Spurious Zelensky News Story
A casino resort in Cyprus is planning to take legal action against a Turkish news outlet for spreading false claims that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased the property.
The Turkish news site OdaTV alleged earlier this month that Zelensky had bought the Vuni Palace Hotel and its accompanying Viva! Casino, both located in the Mersin resort corridor on Cyprus' northern shore. The news report claimed Zelensky had acquired the hotel and casino through his company, Film Heritage Inc., registered offshore in Belize.
The report quickly faced backlash from Turkish, Cyprus, and Ukrainian officials. OdaTV later removed the article from its website. However, the resort's owners say the damage has already been done.
Legal Action Imminent
Vuni Palace Hotel and Viva! Casino is owned by Oscar Limited, who claim the website cited by OdaTV was fraudulent, written in English instead of Turkish, and nonfunctional.
The group's official statement read, "The website mentioned in the news article, where the name of the company with the title Film Heritage Inc. is mentioned, 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. Further legal action will be taken in this regard."
Oscar Ltd. notes the resort's genuine online presence is vunipalacehotel.com, featuring Turkish, English, and German languages. They add that any sale of the resort would require approval from the Cyprus government and local officials and would not involve a controversial figure.
OdaTV also insinuated that Booking.com had stopped facilitating reservations for Vuni Palace since it was undergoing an ownership change. Oscar officials dismissed this claim, saying Booking.com was forbidden 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.
Viva! Casino has 270 slot machines and 15 live dealer table games, while the Vuni Palace Hotel boasts 170 rooms and six suites, three restaurants, a full-service spa, two outdoor pools, and other amenities.
Zelensky Misinformation
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the United States providing billions of dollars in assistance to Ukraine's defense effort, several rumors have surfaced about Zelensky enriching himself with the war funds. Stories include Zelensky allegedly purchasing a $20 million mansion in Florida, two yachts worth $123 million, and a $5.5 million property in France's Alpes-Maritimes.
Political analysts believe these rumours are part of a Russian propaganda campaign to undermine Ukraine's government and its leader.
Forbes estimates Zelensky's net worth at around $20 million. Before entering politics, Zelensky worked in the entertainment industry.
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