Bloomberry new court win in Bangladesh Bank heist case

May 31, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck  

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Bloomberry Resorts Corp says the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court, in the United States, has upheld a previous order which granted the group’s motion to dismiss a civil suit brought against one of its units by the Bangladesh Bank.

The decision and order were dated from Tuesday (May 30), Bloomberry said in a filing on Wednesday to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The firm is the parent of the Solaire Resort and Casino (pictured) in the Philippine capital Manila.

The case involved a complaint by the Bangladesh Bank against Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc, an operating subsidiary of Bloomberry.

A state court in New York had granted in April last year Boomberry’s motion to dismiss the civil suit filed by the Bangladesh Bank. The case was dismissed “for lack of jurisdiction”, which was now confirmed by the appellate division.

The lawsuit stemmed from a May 2020 civil summons – received by the Bloomberry unit in September that year – relating to a court case in the United States about a 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.

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

The lawsuit alleged “conversion/theft/misappropriation; aiding and abetting the same; conspiracy to commit the same; [and] 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”.

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