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Doronin alleges fraud by Aman JV partner

Aman Group co-owner Vladislav Doronin on Friday filed a lawsuit against joint venture partner Omar Amanat and Peak Venture Partners claiming fraudulent conduct in connection with the recent acquisition of the luxury resort company.

This latest maneuver in what has become an ugly public battle for control of the hotels comes after Amanat won a temporary ruling last week in the London High Court that found Doronin’s attempt to remove Aman Founder Adrian Zecha as CEO was in violation of the joint venture agreement.

The new complaint alleges that Amanat secretly used Doronin’s money to pay millions of dollars of Amanat’s own obligations and, in order to induce Doronin to enter into the transaction, submitted written confirmations that Amanat had more than US$100 million in liquid assets on the letterhead of a brokerage firm that Doronin later learned was in receivership and was not holding any client monies.

Doronin also alleges in the complaint that Amanat’s alleged conduct is part of a pattern going back decades with other businesses and partners. As a result of the claims of Amanat’s alleged wrongful conduct, Doronin seeks monetary damages and an order compelling Amanat to sell his interests in the Aman Group to Doronin.

Following the filing of the complaint, Doronin said, “My primary concern is to continue rebuilding the Aman Group – expanding and making it more successful than it has ever been. As part of that effort, I look forward to having Mr. Omar Amanat’s conduct remedied by the courts, so that the Aman Group can focus completely on its resorts and guests without further distraction.”

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