• Tim Heath’s legal team has filed a €3.2m complaint in Estonia
• Heath was the victim of a failed kidnapping attempt in 2024
• The defense for the alleged kidnappers has called the complaint "utopian"

Tim Heath, the Founder of Yolo Group, had an unpleasant brush with kidnappers in 2024, just days ahead of the Bombay Club opening in Tallinn, Estonia. Now, the prominent gambling figurehead has filed a €3.2m claim against the four men who tried to kidnap him and failed after Heath fought them back.

In his claim filed with the first-tier Harju County Court, as reported by Eesti Ekspress, an Estonian media outlet, Heath’s legal team is seeking compensations to the amount of €3.2m from the four men, including for moral damage that will be down to the court to decide.

Heath's civil case meets strong resistance from defense team

Lembit Tedder, who represents the Australian billionaire, has said that based on international precedent, a €1m payment would be within the realm of the possible. However, the lawyers, who are currently defending two Azeri nationals, as only two of the four-men crew have been apprehended, have objected.

Defense lawyer Urmas Simon said that the complaint was "utopian" with a rejoinder from his colleague, Sven Sillari, who similarly insisted that his client would be acquitted before the court. Simon and Sillari represent each one of the Azeri nationals who were apprehended abroad and handed over to the Estonian police, where they are now facing both charges and Heath’s team’s civil complaint.

The foiled kidnapping attempt took place in 2024, just one week before the opening of Bombay Club, Yolo Group’s $100m high roller exclusive casino property. Heath was able to fight the four assailants single-handedly, who, upon failing to overpower him, fled the scene on foot.

The alleged attack took place on July 29 in Tallinn’s Old Town, the historic part of town. Swift police investigation managed to reveal plenty of details about the kidnappers, including that they had aimed to transport Heath to the Kakerdaja bog, some 65 kilometers outside of Tallinn, where they would have potentially asked for ransom, although this remains speculative.

Details of a fifth man involved in the kidnapping attempt are still unclear

Police had an easy time tracking the attackers, finding the passport of one of the four assailants in an abandoned getaway vehicle hired via the Bolt platform. The supposed hideout location where Heath was supposed to be transported to was also booked via Airbnb, with the kidnappers leaving an indelible digital footprint that had helped the police piece together the story.

Heath’s defense has also asked the court to seize the assets belonging to the four men supposedly involved in the billionaire’s foiled kidnapping.

Although only four assailants are involved, two of whom remain at large, one Georgian national, potentially a fifth member of the kidnapping crew, was also arrested.

The man has been identified as Ilgar Mamedov, but it is not clear if any charges have been brought against him as part of the civil complaint filed by Heath’s team. It’s similarly not clear if Mamedov has been part of the four people to assault Heath or a fifth party somehow tied to the assailants.

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