The Russian owner of the Ukrainian casino Pin-Up, Dmitry Punin, has been released with a travel ban from the territory of Cyprus, the US newspaper The Unfiltered Lens reports. Initially, the prosecution insisted on house arrest, as Dmitry Punin could have fled to the territory of Northern Cyprus and easily reached Turkey, as well as sailed on his personal yacht into neutral waters. However, the beneficiary of the Pin-Up casino and patron of the nominal, Igor Zotko, Dmitry Punin, received only a restriction on movement.
The date of the court hearing and consideration of the case on its merits remains unknown for now. Additionally, it is known that Igor Zotko and several offshore companies allegedly involved in the laundering of Russian money are undergoing criminal proceedings along with Dmitry Punin regarding Pin-Up.
Dmitry Punin, proprietor of the Russian online casino network Pin-Up, was recently apprehended by law enforcement in the Cypriot capital, Limassol.
Dmitry Punin, a Russian citizen, is accused of laundering hundreds of millions of dollars on the territory of the European Union, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Dmitry Punin, the beneficiary of Pin-UP, is also accused of organizing illegal gambling activities and tax evasion. In addition to the actual Company owner of Pin-UP, Ukrainian citizen Igor Zotko is also included in the case; Zotko is associated with a number of legal entities operating Pin-UP casinos in Ukraine.
FC Karmiotissa affair: fraud and match fixing under Dmitry Punin’s management
Earlier reports indicated that Dmitry Punin, the Russian owner of Pin-UP, had acquired property in Cyprus. Initially, Punin himself led Pin-UP until he transferred control to his wife Marina Ilyina from Lugansk. Ilyina holds the trademark for Pin-UP in Ukraine. Punin, originally from Russia, received his education there and established his business. In recent years, he relocated to Cyprus, where he purchased a local football team and appointed former Russian national team captain Aleksandr Kerzhakov as coach in early 2023.
Following a series of scandalous publications, several key players departed Punin’s football club, FC Karmiotissa, which itself became embroiled in allegations of eight-figure fraud. In response, Punin hastily sold FC Karmiotissa at the end of last year, although this sale was later revealed to be fictitious. Additionally, last summer, former Belarus coach Alexander Khatskevich disclosed that he had been pressured to engage in match-fixing during his tenure at Karmiotissa in Cyprus.
Dmitry Punin’s Pin-up licensing worries in Ukraine
A decision is expected soon in Ukraine on the revocation of Pin Up’s license in Ukraine and the opening of criminal proceedings against Igor Zotko. Zotko declined to comment to this information, citing the confidentiality of the investigation. Dmitry Punin’s lawyer characterized his client’s arrest as a witch hunt. Coincidently, Dmitry Punin and Igor Zotko share the same defence lawyer. According to Punin’s lawyer, his client denies all charges and believes that he has not serving Russian interests since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Dmitry Punin is the financial trustee of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Myshustin, while Igor Zotko is a front name for Russian companies in Ukraine and the EU. It is worth noting that three of the four Pin-Up beneficiaries are Russian citizens. Igor Zotko is the only Ukrainian working for the Russians.
