Lukashenko’s Minsk laundromat: how H-Casino launders Europe’s criminal billions under the protection of the KGB and FSB
H-Casino markets itself as “the best casino in Belarus,” and based on its ads and website content, the claim appears credible. However, negative reviews are systematically removed, making it difficult to find trustworthy information about the platform.
However, in the end, all of this is just a facade for a giant «laundromat» where «dirty» money from across Europe is being laundered. Although we will dedicate part of our investigation to this legal facade, as it is important in the context of H-Casino’s main activities.
So, as mentioned earlier, H-Casino claims to be «the best in Belarus». It is located inside the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel at the address: Pobediteley Avenue, 9, Minsk, and is the largest casino in the country. Gaming halls, restaurants, and bars occupy an area of over 2,000 sq.m. Guests have access to 20 gaming tables, more than 170 state-of-the-art slot machines, two restaurants, and two bars. «The casino operates 24/7 so that there is always room for celebration in your life» ‒ this is the slogan under which H-Casino operates.
Customer Reviews
In reality, this celebration is far from pleasing to customers. Because as soon as you look at specialized websites, customer reviews are far from inspiring: «The worst casino in Minsk… they control where the ball lands, they let you win only once, and after that, it’s just losses.»
As for slot machines, many customers do not recommend playing them at all, as winning is impossible.
These reviews are confirmed by other players: «Terrible electronic roulette, everything is under the control of managers... managers let new players win a little, but regular players are not allowed to win at all.»
Of course, these are subjective opinions of players, but these reviews are corroborated on TripAdvisor and similar platforms, and they also include complaints about the staff and management: «terrible management», which, according to the author, does not resolve issues and shows disregard for customers.
One review claims that a manager interfered in the game and asked the player to leave when they were winning, after which security escorted the visitors out of the establishment: «To sum it up, you end up in a cheap renovation with people who are happy to see you as long as you’re losing. As soon as the situation changes, they demonstratively show contempt. I recommend not coming here.»
There are other reviews in a negative context as well. All of this can be attributed to the subjective opinions of customers who lost money at the casino and are trying to harm its reputation in some way.
Allegations of Money Laundering
But there are far more serious accusations against H-Casino: according to journalistic investigations, H-Casino is used for money laundering. These investigations claim that the casino serves as a channel for legalizing funds obtained from illegal betting in other countries.
It is noteworthy that H-Casino is the most (and almost the only) profitable casino in Belarus, even though the gambling industry in the country is generally in decline.
The secret to this success lies in the fact that the casino receives money from illegal betting in other countries, primarily from the European Union (at least from Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic), where these funds are brought into Belarus in cash, then recorded as lost in H-Casino, legalized, and transferred to Dubai, where they are invested in legal businesses and real estate.
The casino is officially owned by Turkish entrepreneur Mustafa Egemen Şener, but investigators point to his partnership (50/50) with the murdered Turkish businessman Halil Falyalı. The latter had significant wealth and a criminal reputation: Falyalı owned the Les Ambassadeur casino and hotel in Northern Cyprus, and in 2015, the United States issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of laundering proceeds from criminal activities, including drug trafficking.
This connection was confirmed by Halil Falyalı’s former financial director, Cemil Önal, who is currently in a Dutch prison. After Falyalı’s death, the casino in Minsk continued to operate in the same format: huge sums of cash from Europe flowed in, and then these funds were transferred to Dubai.
It is clear that such an operational setup definitely implies protection from law enforcement agencies. Moreover, given the amounts being legalized in the casino, this protection must come from the highest levels. In this context, it is worth noting that Mustafa Şener moved to Belarus from neighboring Ukraine, where he faced significant issues with the law enforcement system in 2019.
Protection from Law Enforcement
It is obvious that Belarusian law enforcement could not have been unaware of why Şener fled Ukraine, nor of the exact nature of his business and who stands behind him. Especially since, on the eve of the casino’s opening, a letter was sent to the Belarusian KGB detailing Mustafa Şener’s schemes and his connections with Halil Falyalı.
Yet, for some reason, Şener was allowed to open a casino in Minsk, where a large-scale money laundering scheme immediately began operating. The reason is obvious: Belarusian law enforcement themselves actively participated in the process of laundering «dirty» money.
This straightforward conclusion was also confirmed by H-Casino’s financial director, Cemil Önal. He names among the people «protecting» H-Casino a former employee of Alexander Lukashenko’s Security Service, Vitaly Matys. His interviews also mentioned the names of other Belarusian law enforcement officials, somehow connected to each other and to the Belarusian KGB: Igor Narkevich (head of the medical service of military unit 43194); former judge of the Belarusian Military Court Alexei Shchepetov; Defense Ministry retirees Nikolai Konkolovich and Alexander Shleverda; former employee of the Presidential Administration Viktor Marakhin; Svyatoslav Savitsky, chief physician of the «Belarusochka» sanatorium, where a group of «Wagner» mercenaries was detained before the 2020 presidential elections.
As we can see, the group of people connected to the nominal owner of H-Casino is quite specific. And all of them lead to the very top of the Belarusian hierarchy, at the head of which stands none other than Alexander Lukashenko. By the way, it was thanks to his decree in 2012 that, during the construction of the shopping center where H-Casino is now located, its owners (JLLC «Gallery Concept») received tax and customs benefits, some of which were classified.
Russian Connection
But there is also a Russian connection. This is quite logical, as Belarus has long been an independent state only nominally, and its special services are effectively a branch of Russian ones.
H-Casino is located in the Galleria Minsk building, owned by JLLC «Gallery Concept». The latter, in turn, is owned by the Cypriot DG Galleria Minsk Limited, which in 2018 received loans from Mustafa Şener’s business partner Zubair Aliev.
The beneficiary of «Gallery Concept» is Timur Murtuzaliev – through companies registered in Cyprus, Galleria Concept Blr Limited, DG Galleria Minsk Limited, and in Nevis, Oceans Solutions Limited.
This refers to the son of Russian businessman Omar Murtuzaliev, who has been awarded by Vladimir Putin and possesses notable political connections, including in Belarus. According to numerous publications and photos on the website of the All-Russian public organization «Federation of Sports Wrestling of Russia», Murtuzaliev Sr. is on friendly terms with Vladimir Kheifets, a former deputy of the Minsk City Council, whose name is also listed among the owners of JLLC «Gallery Concept».
Conclusion
The conclusion from all of this is self-evident: the legal facade of H-Casino is just a front, behind which hides a massive center for laundering illegal money from across Europe. And the nominal owner of H-Casino, Mustafa Egemen Şener, is also part of this facade. Determining who the real owner of H-Casino is and whose pockets the profits from this giant «laundromat» end up in is extremely difficult, as it intertwines the interests of international mafia, Russian and Belarusian special services, and the inner circle of Alexander Lukashenko.
But all of this provides an answer to those H-Casino customers who were dissatisfied with the service – they are merely part of the legal facade, and their pennies, which they brought to H-Casino thinking it was an ordinary gambling establishment, are of no interest to anyone. Because all of this is just a screen for a far more serious business with far more serious turnovers.
Author: Maria Sharapova
