One of the yachts belonging to Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich<\/em><\/p>
In May 2009, the newspaper reported that the Russian oligarch had suffered a huge financial loss due to his passion for poker. But as is well known, 'money sticks to money,' and in this case Abramovich even managed to earn compensation for moral damages caused by the journalists. He won the lawsuit. According to press reports, this money will go to charitable purposes, as Roman Abramovich is known as a philanthropist who spends millions of dollars annually on such causes in Russia. The amount of compensation has not been disclosed.<\/p>
The London court heard a case regarding the publication of an article titled 'A Black Year for Abramovich: Playing Poker, He Lost His Yacht.' This material told the story that the famous billionaire has a gambling addiction. The article stated that his passion for poker was so serious that Abramovich had already started playing card games online.<\/p>
The newspaper reported that playing poker did not bring Abramovich any profit. On the contrary, he lost substantial sums, forcing him to sell one of his favorite yachts for 500,000 euros to cover a gambling debt. The stated price is puzzling, as everyone knows that the Russian billionaire is a big yacht enthusiast. Therefore, parting with his favorite was not easy. It is unknown how many yachts Abramovich has, but there is information about some of them. For example, he owns the yacht Le Grand Bleu, which cost him $80 million. He also acquired Pelorus for $117 million. There is also the yacht Ecstasea, the cost of which has not been disclosed. One of his recent acquisitions is Eclipse, worth $1.2 billion. The latter yacht was specially designed and built for the oligarch by the famous designer Hermidas Atabeyki. It is the world's largest private motor yacht.<\/p>
In addition, La Repubblica reported that Abramovich's passion for poker caused negative moments in his relationship with his girlfriend Daria Zhukova. According to journalists, Daria, who gave birth to a son for Roman last year, gave him an ultimatum: either me or gambling.<\/p>
In court, it was proven that all the facts presented in the newspaper were defamatory. They slander the world-famous businessman, whose name ranks fourth among the richest people in Russia. The businessman's lawyer, John Kelly, also noted that the publication of these facts in Italian and then in the English media greatly dismayed Roman Abramovich.<\/p>
The lawyer also reported that the materials for publication were not discussed with Abramovich in advance. Had the journalists done so, they would have known that they possessed false information.<\/p>
On behalf of the newspaper, lawyer Sarah Tulan expressed sincere apologies for all the moral damages caused by the publication of this article. In addition, the newspaper was ordered to publish a public retraction and never again publish this slander against Abramovich.<\/p>
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