Mayfair's Les Ambassadeurs club sues gambler over £470k debt and bounced cheques

An international gambler is being sued by the exclusive Mayfair-based Les Ambassadeurs Club after running up debts of £470,000 ($609,409) and issuing a series of bounced cheques, a court heard.

The historic Les Ambassadeurs Club, in London, which also houses the Les A Club casino, is suing Azam Kolia, who once lost £2.4m in a night, it was reported.

At a preliminary High Court hearing it was stated that that Kolia, from Singapore, liked to "play for high stakes" and had attempted to "negotiate the debt down".

The barrister representing Les Ambassadeurs, Daisy Boulter, told the judge, Mrs Justice Jefford, that the man had gambled in the Philippines, London and Australia, and stayed at The Ritz hotel in London when he amassed the debt.

Boulter had argued that Kolia's assets should be frozen as he has "refused to pay" his debts at the club, which their website says has been "welcoming aristocracy, diplomats and famous names since the early 19th Century".

Boulter said the prolific gambler had spent £2.6m and lost £2.4m on one night in December 2012 after buying chips with cheques which had been "dishonoured".

"There is a history of evasiveness," Boulter said according to the Telegraph.

"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."

She added: "He has recently made an offer of settlement. The only thing he has not done is paid up."

The court heard that Kolia lived in Singapore but was a frequent traveller and that lawyers for the club had found it difficult to serve documents on him.

It was also revealed during the hearing that Kolia had failed to comply with a judge's order requiring him to provide detail of his assets.

Re-opened in 1991 the club is owned by a subsidiary of Landing International Development Limited, based in Hong Kong.