Former Leeds United managing director David Haigh protests innocence in explosive statement from Dubai jail
Mail 24/9/14
David Haigh has spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell and is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities
Haigh has been accused by former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him
The former Leeds United managing director has enlisted the services of forensic investigators in a bid to clear his name
By Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail
David Haigh, the former Leeds United managing director who has now spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell, has issued an explosive statement protesting his innocence while revealing no criminal charges have yet been brought against him.
Haigh has been accused by his former employers and former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him. The figures that have been reported amount to around £4million.
But Haigh, who is still waiting to even be questioned by the authorities in Dubai despite having shared a cell with two or three other prisoners at the Bur Dubai Police Station Jail since May 18, has enlisted the services of forensic investigators at Price Waterhouse Coopers in a bid to clear his name.
Haigh, who is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities, was the frontman and deputy CEO of Dubai-based bankers GFH when they bought Leeds from Ken Bates in December 2012. He then became managing director of the football club and introduced current owner Massimo Cellino to GFH. Once the takeover had occurred the controversial Italian dispensed with the services of Haigh, who had resigned from GFH and as managing director of the club.
In May GFH released a statement confirming 36-year-old Haigh had been arrested ‘on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering while he was employed at the bank.’
Since then a High Court Judge has imposed an interim asset freezing order on Haigh, with Mr Justice Males pointing to the fact that Haigh was facing allegations of ‘false invoice fraud’ in criminal and civil proceedings in Dubai. The Judge said he was satisfied that GFH had a ‘good arguable case’ and said there was evidence of a ‘risk of a dissipation of assets’.
But Haigh claims he is the victim and in a detailed statement issued through his representatives on Thursday he said: ‘I have now been held in jail for 130 days during which time no criminal charges have been brought against me. Nor have I been questioned or examined in any way about any criminal matters.
‘Under the cynical guise of what I believe is essentially a vindictive commercial dispute, my former employers Gulf Finance House GFH Capital (GFH) through their lawyers, Gibson Dunn, have publicly accused me of illegally and deliberately diverting money to bank accounts they claim I controlled.
‘GFH bases most of its allegations against me on a report commissioned by them from a Gulf-based accountant called Sajjad Haider. I have instructed internationally renowned accountancy and forensic investigators from Price Waterhouse Coopers to examine what purport to be the findings of that report.
‘PWC’s conclusions which I have now received are unequivocal. They say the Haider report on which the GFH allegations are based provides no evidence that I either created false invoices or diverted GFH money into accounts controlled by me.
‘The PWC conclusions also specifically state that there is no evidence provided to support any allegation “that Mr Haigh created fake invoices to illegally divert funds for his own personal benefit from client/escrow accounts held on behalf of GFH by Gibson Dunn”.
‘Both the handwriting report and the PWC findings confirm my belief that vindictive and personal attacks have been mounted against me in order to secure my incarceration in Dubai. Indeed, it has already been admitted in court by GFH that they used subterfuge to lure me to Dubai from the UK.
‘While I do not blame the Dubai system or its authorities for what has happened, GFH knew full well that they had no grounds to have me detained in the UK. I have to remain confident that the Dubai judicial system, which I believe to be fair and just, will do a thorough job which will result in my name being cleared.
‘In the meantime however I believe that GFH are exploiting the Dubai system in having me locked up for more than four months without trial, never having been questioned about any criminality and guilty of no wrongdoing. Justice will prevail; of that I am confident.’
Haigh said he is now in danger of losing his home. ‘The freezing by GFH and Gibson Dunn of my bank accounts and assets has prevented me from spending even a penny on my living expenses, such as food or medicine,’ he said.
‘The GFH actions are also calculated to cause me maximum problems in Dubai where debt is a criminal offence. In a few days my house may be foreclosed of which GFH are well aware.
‘I can only speculate as to motives for this conduct which, in taking away my freedom and seeking to destroy my reputation and character, is clearly in breach of my fundamental human rights.
‘Can it be coincidence that the amounts of money GFH falsely claim was diverted illegally and deliberately into accounts controlled by me are remarkably similar to the amounts contained in my outstanding claims against GFH?
‘These include payments long overdue to me for expenses, salary, bonus shares and commission incurred during my time working both for GFH and as Managing Director of Leeds United.
‘I have also volunteered to be transferred to a jail for long term serious drug offenders in order to have greater access to my lawyers. This is in spite of the serious and persistent health problems brought on by my imprisonment and the heavy medication which they have necessitated.
‘Despite all this, GFH has shown no interest in engaging on these matters. They appear to me to be motivated by a strategy of seeking to discredit me by keeping me in jail without charge for as long as possible so that I cannot defend myself.
'At the same time they seek to gain maximum advantage from the fact I am unable properly to defend myself through my inability to access my phone, bank and computer records and files. This attempt to make me a scapegoat is cynical and wrong.’
David Haigh has spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell and is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities
Haigh has been accused by former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him
The former Leeds United managing director has enlisted the services of forensic investigators in a bid to clear his name
By Matt Lawton for the Daily Mail
David Haigh, the former Leeds United managing director who has now spent 130 days in a Dubai jail cell, has issued an explosive statement protesting his innocence while revealing no criminal charges have yet been brought against him.
Haigh has been accused by his former employers and former Leeds owners GFH Capital of falsifying invoices and diverting money into accounts controlled by him. The figures that have been reported amount to around £4million.
But Haigh, who is still waiting to even be questioned by the authorities in Dubai despite having shared a cell with two or three other prisoners at the Bur Dubai Police Station Jail since May 18, has enlisted the services of forensic investigators at Price Waterhouse Coopers in a bid to clear his name.
Haigh, who is still waiting to be questioned by the authorities, was the frontman and deputy CEO of Dubai-based bankers GFH when they bought Leeds from Ken Bates in December 2012. He then became managing director of the football club and introduced current owner Massimo Cellino to GFH. Once the takeover had occurred the controversial Italian dispensed with the services of Haigh, who had resigned from GFH and as managing director of the club.
In May GFH released a statement confirming 36-year-old Haigh had been arrested ‘on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering while he was employed at the bank.’
Since then a High Court Judge has imposed an interim asset freezing order on Haigh, with Mr Justice Males pointing to the fact that Haigh was facing allegations of ‘false invoice fraud’ in criminal and civil proceedings in Dubai. The Judge said he was satisfied that GFH had a ‘good arguable case’ and said there was evidence of a ‘risk of a dissipation of assets’.
But Haigh claims he is the victim and in a detailed statement issued through his representatives on Thursday he said: ‘I have now been held in jail for 130 days during which time no criminal charges have been brought against me. Nor have I been questioned or examined in any way about any criminal matters.
‘Under the cynical guise of what I believe is essentially a vindictive commercial dispute, my former employers Gulf Finance House GFH Capital (GFH) through their lawyers, Gibson Dunn, have publicly accused me of illegally and deliberately diverting money to bank accounts they claim I controlled.
‘GFH bases most of its allegations against me on a report commissioned by them from a Gulf-based accountant called Sajjad Haider. I have instructed internationally renowned accountancy and forensic investigators from Price Waterhouse Coopers to examine what purport to be the findings of that report.
‘PWC’s conclusions which I have now received are unequivocal. They say the Haider report on which the GFH allegations are based provides no evidence that I either created false invoices or diverted GFH money into accounts controlled by me.
‘The PWC conclusions also specifically state that there is no evidence provided to support any allegation “that Mr Haigh created fake invoices to illegally divert funds for his own personal benefit from client/escrow accounts held on behalf of GFH by Gibson Dunn”.
‘Both the handwriting report and the PWC findings confirm my belief that vindictive and personal attacks have been mounted against me in order to secure my incarceration in Dubai. Indeed, it has already been admitted in court by GFH that they used subterfuge to lure me to Dubai from the UK.
‘While I do not blame the Dubai system or its authorities for what has happened, GFH knew full well that they had no grounds to have me detained in the UK. I have to remain confident that the Dubai judicial system, which I believe to be fair and just, will do a thorough job which will result in my name being cleared.
‘In the meantime however I believe that GFH are exploiting the Dubai system in having me locked up for more than four months without trial, never having been questioned about any criminality and guilty of no wrongdoing. Justice will prevail; of that I am confident.’
Haigh said he is now in danger of losing his home. ‘The freezing by GFH and Gibson Dunn of my bank accounts and assets has prevented me from spending even a penny on my living expenses, such as food or medicine,’ he said.
‘The GFH actions are also calculated to cause me maximum problems in Dubai where debt is a criminal offence. In a few days my house may be foreclosed of which GFH are well aware.
‘I can only speculate as to motives for this conduct which, in taking away my freedom and seeking to destroy my reputation and character, is clearly in breach of my fundamental human rights.
‘Can it be coincidence that the amounts of money GFH falsely claim was diverted illegally and deliberately into accounts controlled by me are remarkably similar to the amounts contained in my outstanding claims against GFH?
‘These include payments long overdue to me for expenses, salary, bonus shares and commission incurred during my time working both for GFH and as Managing Director of Leeds United.
‘I have also volunteered to be transferred to a jail for long term serious drug offenders in order to have greater access to my lawyers. This is in spite of the serious and persistent health problems brought on by my imprisonment and the heavy medication which they have necessitated.
‘Despite all this, GFH has shown no interest in engaging on these matters. They appear to me to be motivated by a strategy of seeking to discredit me by keeping me in jail without charge for as long as possible so that I cannot defend myself.
'At the same time they seek to gain maximum advantage from the fact I am unable properly to defend myself through my inability to access my phone, bank and computer records and files. This attempt to make me a scapegoat is cynical and wrong.’