COMPANIES Grosvenor Casinos, owned by Rank Group, has filed a claim in the High Court in London against the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, alleging that the bank failed to honour two cheques from a gambling client totalling £6.68m for which it had given verbal authorisation.
According to the claim, Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Reyaysa presented the cheques in February 2000 at one of the group's casinos, the Clermont Club in Berkeley Square. The claim said that Al-Reyaysa bought gaming chips with the cheques and that the NBAD gave a "verbal paid answer" to the casino's bank, National Westminster, that it would honour the cheques on presentation. The casino said Al-Reyaysa lost his stake and the NBAD did not honour the cheques. The bank said yesterday: "We will vigorously contest the action and we will defend our position in court."
