In a preliminary hearing, attorneys for casino bosses from Les Ambassadeurs Club, in Mayfair, London, told Mrs. Justice Jefford of the High Court that Azam Kolia of Singapore had bounced checks worth 1,600 at the casino. The casino bosses sued Kolia and the judge said Kolia’s assets should be frozen pending further developments.
Barrister Daisy Boulter, representing Les Ambassadeurs, said Kolia was a prolific gambler and liked to “play for high stakes.” Boulter said Kolia gambled in the Philippines, Australia and London, where he stayed at the Ritz Hotel and used a bank account in Bournemouth, Dorset. She noted legend has it the international gambler once lost $3 million in a single night in December 2012.
“There is a history of evasiveness. This points to a man with the means to pay, who acknowledges that the debt is due, but simply refuses to pay, possibly because he thinks he can negotiate the debt down. He has recently made an offer of settlement. The only thing he has not done is paid up,” Boulter told the judge. She added Kolia was a frequent traveler, making it difficult for lawyers to serve documents on him. Also, she noted Kolia had failed to comply with a judge’s order requiring him to provide details of his assets.
According to Les Ambassadeurs’ website, it is considered “one of the capital’s most exclusive and distinguished gambling clubs, welcoming the cream of society” since the early 19th century.
