Okada mulls suit against news agency

MANILA, Philippines - Japanese pachinko tycoon Kazuo Okada is considering taking legal actions against groups spreading what he deems to be malicious and false statements about him and his company.

In a statement, Okada’s casino firm Universal Entertainment Corp. criticized Reuters  news agency for its “biased and unfair reporting,” citing its Nov. 16 and Nov. 30 reports on alleged multimillion-dollar payoffs made by Universal Entertainment to former Philippine Gaming & Amusement Corp. consultant Rodolfo Soriano.

Reuters alleged that Soriano received at least $30 million in exchange for the approval of Universal Entertainment’s license to operate a casino project within Pagcor’s Entertainment City along Manila Bay.

“Reuters’ reporting is full of malice and our company firmly objects to this. We believe that Reuters should be fully held to account legally for the damage brought about through their biased reporting, and we are exploring the possibility of taking legal actions against them,” Universal Entertainment said.

“Their stories contain misrecognition of facts and biases that could have been easily avoided had Reuters engaged in fair and appropriate reporting,” the Okada firm said.

The reports did not specify if Okada personally knew or approved the payment.

Universal Entertainment said it has reported details about its Philippine business to the Nevada Gaming Authorities through the company’s own compliance committee. 

“When we believe there is a problem involving former employees of our company, we launch litigation and carry out the appropriate measures at the appropriate time,” the company said.

“Up to this point, Reuters has been fed information unfavorable to our company by the litigants involved in legal disputes with us, including Wynn Resorts. Reuters has intentionally manufactured information unfavorable to us without so much as confirming the facts or questioning appropriate persons involved,” Universal Entertainment noted.

The Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation are conducting an investigation into the alleged $30-million payoff.

The government said it would cancel Universal Entertainment’s casino license if proven that the Okada group resorted to bribery to secure the license.