London’s Ritz Club has dropped a High Court suit to recoup gambling losses by a high-roller the exclusive Piccadilly casino initially accused of bouncing a £5 million check.
According to court papers filed by the casino, Singapore construction and property magnate Bharat Kalwani paid for a gambling spree last October with a check drawn on Royal Bank of Scotland which the casino later discovered to be “worthless” when it tried to cash it and the bank returned it unpaid, saying the account had been closed since August 2012.
The casino sued for the £5 million plus £1,000 a day in interest, but apparently it was all a misunderstanding, and in a joint press release issued on the eve of the trial, the casino said it was “happy to clarify that the cheque at issue was not drawn on Mr. Kalwani’s accounts.”
Kalwani, whom the casino described as “a longstanding and respected member of the Ritz Club,” had “acted honorably”.
“The claim has now been amicably settled on confidential terms,” the casino said.
