As reported by: Agence France-Presse
Australia's Westpac Bank faces a multi-million dollar damages action by a London casino over a scam masterminded by a fraudster convicted of stealing 70 million US from foreign banks, a report said.

Aspinalls Club, which runs a private gambling club in London's Mayfair, has launched legal action in the New South Wales Supreme Court against Westpac to force it to honor two cheques the Singaporean businessman wrote from his Sydney-based Westpac account, according to the Australian newspaper.

It said the cheques written by the man, Chia Teck Leng, were for 1.64 million pounds sterling (3.05 million US dollars) and for 990,000 pounds.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman confirmed Aspinalls had launched breach of contract action action against Westpac but no further details were available.

Westpac spokesman David Lording declined to confirm whether Aspinalls had launched action against the bank but told AFP: "We'll be defending any action, vigorously."

Lording also refused to confirm if the Chia had an account at Westpac in Sydney.

A Singapore court sentenced Chia in April to 42 years in jail after he admitted cheating German and Japanese banks there of 70 million US dollars.

Chia, a former finance manager with Asia Pacific Breweries which makes Singapore's famous Tiger beer, pleaded guilty to eight charges of cheating and six of forgery.

Prosecutors in the city-state's biggest fraud case said Chia spent most of the money in Australian casinos.

Chia persuaded banks to extend him credit by forging the signatures of his bosses at the brewery, with him as the sole signatory, court records showed.

The newspaper reported Chia used the Westpac account, opened in December 2000, to launder his winnings and pay his debts.

Chia paid for gaming chips at Aspinalls with Westpac cheques twice in August last year.

The cheques were couriered by DHL from London to Sydney to be authenticated but Westpac told Aspinalls it needed to contact Chia before authorising the payments.

Aspinalls will allege that Westpac and DHL needlessly delayed payment.

Chia was arrested two weeks after the cheques were written and the Westpac account was frozen.

No court date has been set.