The High Court has dismissed Grosvenor Casinos' attempt to claim more than £7 million from the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD). Grosvenor sued NBAD in attempt to recover debts owed by gambler Ahmed al-Reyaysa to Grosvenor's Clermont Club.
al-Reyaysa wrote two checks from his NBAD account-- one for £3.07 million and the other for £3.6 million-- to buy chips at Clermont Club between December 1999 and February 2000. He lost playing roulette and hen his checks bounced.
Grosvenor was earlier awarded a claim against al-Reyaysa himself, but the casino operator is unable to enforce the claim because al-Reyaysa is located in the United Arab Emirates, outside the jurisdiction of British courts.
Grosvenor alleges NBAD promised to honor al-Reyaysa's check. The casino sued the bank claiming it acted fraudulently and was therefore liable for the debt.
The High Court dismissed the case in London today, declaring that NBAD's promise resulted in: "a confusion or misderstanding rather than dishonesty."