Zambian businessman loses London lawsuit against Bob Diamond's Atlas Mara

LONDON (Reuters) -A Zambian businessman on Wednesday lost a London lawsuit against Atlas Mara, the African investment vehicle set up by former Barclays boss Bob Diamond, over the acquisition of a Zambian bank.

Rajan Mahtani sued Atlas Mara over the sale of Finance Bank Zambia, alleging he received less than a quarter of the $215 million said to have been offered in 2015.

But Judge Christopher Butcher dismissed Mahtani's case in a written ruling on Wednesday, following a trial at London's High Court last year.

Mahtani, who founded Finance Bank Zambia in 1986, had accused Atlas Mara of breaching the terms of the takeover deal.

Atlas Mara's lawyers, however, argued in court filings that the sums Mahtani was seeking had not been guaranteed to him but were dependent on conditions agreed by the parties.

A spokesperson for Mahtani said he would be seeking permission to appeal against the ruling. Atlas Mara did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Diamond, one of the world's best-known bankers after building Barclays' investment bank over a decade and rising to become chief executive, was not a party to the case.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by William James)