London, 8th March 2016. Mr Vladislav Doronin, international businessman, philanthropist and owner of Aman since August 2015 has achieved a successful settlement of all claims in the long-running court dispute. The High Court in London has today issued an order confirming the settlement. As a result of this settlement, Mr Doronin continues to be in full control of the luxury hotel group Aman.
The settlement was concluded with KPMG as liquidators for Mr Omar Amanat’s vehicle ‘Peak Hotels & Resorts Limited’ (PHRL) following its recent involuntary liquidation. PHRL had brought the initial claim in the High Court of England & Wales.
As part of the settlement, PHRL has agreed to retract all allegations made against Mr Doronin, his businesses and business relationships. Furthermore, PHRL has agreed to pay compensation of £12m GBP in respect of Mr Doronin’s costs, and those of his fellow Director, Mr Johan Eliasch, who was a party to the court case.
Mr Doronin said, “I am delighted that my position has been fully vindicated in this settlement. I was always sure of this outcome and it is great news that the truth has prevailed. This was a long process and the claims brought by PHRL should never have been started. However, I am excited at being able to continue what I started: building this business, one of the most fantastic brands in the world, without any further distraction.”
Mr Doronin added, “During my time at Aman as Chairman, I have restructured the company with new top management and invested capital into existing properties as well as bringing new projects to fruition including opening four new hotels – Aman Tokyo, the first urban Aman hotel, Amandayan, Amanera, Amanemu and the expedition vessel Amandira. We have a new development and technical services team in place which will allow us to expand and generate new revenue streams.”
Mr Doronin went on to say, “I have always acted in the best interests of Aman, whilst having to deal with the disruptive actions of Mr Amanat, who Mr Justice Henderson described during this process as a man with ‘an established record of dishonesty’. So, I intend to pursue my personal claims against Mr Amanat in the New York Courts because it’s my social responsibility to make sure he cannot defraud others in this way – I will carry on the fight.”
Following this settlement, Mr Doronin has full executive control of Aman. For the record, Mr Amanat no longer has any association or connection with Aman. AH Overseas Ltd is the new holding company that owns the luxury hotel group. All Mr Doronin’s counterclaims have been withdrawn as part of the settlement, bringing to an end any involvement on the part of Mr Doronin or his companies in the London court proceedings.
