GGRAsia – Bangladesh Bank heist civil suit vs Bloomberry tossed in U.S.

Bangladesh Bank heist civil suit vs Bloomberry tossed in U.S.

Apr 11, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck

Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc, promoter of the Solaire Resort and Casino in the Philippine capital Manila, says a state court in New York, in the United States, granted on April 8 the firm’s motion to dismiss a civil suit brought against it by the Bangladesh Bank.

Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels’ parent, Bloomberry Resorts Corp, gave the update in a Monday filing to the Philippine Stock Exchange. The parent company said the complaint against the group was dismissed “for lack of jurisdiction”.

The update to the bourse said the civil complaint had been “dismissed in its entirety as against the defendant, ” with costs and disbursements to Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels and its business Solaire Resort and Casino, “as taxed by the clerk of the court”.

The suit stemmed from a May 2020 civil summons – received by the Bloomberry unit in September that year – relating to another court case in the United States about the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist. The online theft allegedly netted US$81 million, and some of it was allegedly channelled via several Philippine casinos, including Solaire’s.

Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels was one of an array of defendants named in the civil suit.

The suit alleged “conversion/ theft/ misappropriation; aiding and abetting the same; conspiracy to commit the same; fraud against Rizal Commercial Banking Corp”, an institution allegedly used by certain other parties to channel part of the stolen funds. The complaint also alleged “aiding and abetting and conspiracy to commit fraud; conspiracy to commit trespass against chattels; unjust enrichment; and return of money received”.

In March 2020, the first legal case against Bloomberry concerning the Bangladesh Bank heist – that had also been filed in New York – was dismissed. In April that year, the Bangladesh Bank had appealed against that dismissal decision made by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.