David Haigh files High Court 'deceit' claim against Leeds United shareholders Gulf Finance House and four other parties
Mail 7/10/14
By NICK HARRIS FOR MAILONLINE
Former Leeds United managing director David Haigh has filed a ‘deceit’ claim in the High Court against five parties including Gulf Finance House, the Bahraini bank that still controls 25 per cent of the Championship club’s shares.
The claim surrounds the circumstances in which Haigh was invited to Dubai in May on the apparent prospect of a new job, only to be arrested and accused by GFH of large-scale fraud and embezzlement.
Haigh has since spent 140 days in a Dubai police station without being charged.
Haigh’s claim is against GFH as well as GFH’s Dubai subsidiary, GFH Capital, plus three individuals who work for those companies, and is detailed in papers lodged at the High Court on Friday, seen by Sportsmail.
Immediate repercussions for Leeds as a football club are likely to range from small to none at all.
The longer-term implications are less easy to predict as a current co-owning party (GFH) and a former MD (Haigh) ramp up an increasingly acrimonious legal and PR war that threatens to be costly and damaging to one or both of them.
GFHC have successfully had all Haigh’s assets frozen globally as they pursue claims against him for almost £4million, money they allege Haigh stole using falsified invoices.
Haigh said via a spokesman today: ‘I have been wrongly and unscrupulously held in jail for almost five months on false pretences. This is wrong and an abuse of my human rights.
‘After many months of being frustrated in my attempts to defend myself, my legal team will shortly be ready to file a full defence and my own claims against GFHC – which will be considerably larger than those they have laid against me.’
GFH Capital responded by saying they have not been served with any claim by Haigh. This claim appears to be true in as much as no physical documents have been delivered, yet, to either Dubai or Bahrain. A legal process has undoubtedly been started, however, as the claim document has been stamped at the High Court.
GFH say: ‘Contrary to the statement that has been issued by David Haigh today, no claim by David Haigh has yet been served on GFH Capital or any other party.
‘Until a particularised claim has been received it is therefore impossible to give any comment on any such claim. It is clear that this statement is in reality just another blatant attempt by Mr Haigh to attract attention in circumstances where GFH Capital maintains its claims of fraud against Mr Haigh in the [Dubai] Court.’
Asked to clarify whether GFH are aware of the claim papers issued in the High Court, a spokesman added: ‘Yes, but they have not been served and there are no particulars.’
- Former Leeds United managing director David Haigh filed 'deceit' claims
- Haigh filed the claims against five parties, including Gulf Finance House
- GFH own 25 per cent of Championship side Leeds
- Haigh invited to Dubai in May on pretence of a job but was then arrested
- Haigh accused of fraud and embezzlement
By NICK HARRIS FOR MAILONLINE
Former Leeds United managing director David Haigh has filed a ‘deceit’ claim in the High Court against five parties including Gulf Finance House, the Bahraini bank that still controls 25 per cent of the Championship club’s shares.
The claim surrounds the circumstances in which Haigh was invited to Dubai in May on the apparent prospect of a new job, only to be arrested and accused by GFH of large-scale fraud and embezzlement.
Haigh has since spent 140 days in a Dubai police station without being charged.
Haigh’s claim is against GFH as well as GFH’s Dubai subsidiary, GFH Capital, plus three individuals who work for those companies, and is detailed in papers lodged at the High Court on Friday, seen by Sportsmail.
Immediate repercussions for Leeds as a football club are likely to range from small to none at all.
The longer-term implications are less easy to predict as a current co-owning party (GFH) and a former MD (Haigh) ramp up an increasingly acrimonious legal and PR war that threatens to be costly and damaging to one or both of them.
GFHC have successfully had all Haigh’s assets frozen globally as they pursue claims against him for almost £4million, money they allege Haigh stole using falsified invoices.
Haigh said via a spokesman today: ‘I have been wrongly and unscrupulously held in jail for almost five months on false pretences. This is wrong and an abuse of my human rights.
‘After many months of being frustrated in my attempts to defend myself, my legal team will shortly be ready to file a full defence and my own claims against GFHC – which will be considerably larger than those they have laid against me.’
GFH Capital responded by saying they have not been served with any claim by Haigh. This claim appears to be true in as much as no physical documents have been delivered, yet, to either Dubai or Bahrain. A legal process has undoubtedly been started, however, as the claim document has been stamped at the High Court.
GFH say: ‘Contrary to the statement that has been issued by David Haigh today, no claim by David Haigh has yet been served on GFH Capital or any other party.
‘Until a particularised claim has been received it is therefore impossible to give any comment on any such claim. It is clear that this statement is in reality just another blatant attempt by Mr Haigh to attract attention in circumstances where GFH Capital maintains its claims of fraud against Mr Haigh in the [Dubai] Court.’
Asked to clarify whether GFH are aware of the claim papers issued in the High Court, a spokesman added: ‘Yes, but they have not been served and there are no particulars.’