GFH Capital has said that it has no control over the criminal investigation being carried out by the Dubai authorities against its former employee David Haigh.

Haigh, a former managing director of Leeds United football club, is currently jailed in Dubai. Haigh was March the deputy chief executive of Dubai-based GFH Capital, a unit of Bahrain's Gulf Finance House,

Reacting to a statement made by Haigh asserting that “no criminal charges have been brought against him”, a GFH statement said it was unable to comment further on the criminal proceedings at this time.

It said GFH Capital understands that a file has been passed to the Public Prosecutor in Dubai and that a judge recently ordered that Haigh continue to be detained until June 23.

"GFH Capital has independently filed a claim against Mr Haigh with the DIFC Court, alleging breaches of his employment contract and breaches of his fiduciary duty towards GFH Capital, by securing the payment of invoices with a value of approximately US$5 million which are known to have been false and which it is alleged were created by or at the instigation of Mr Haigh. To date Mr Haigh has filed no answer to that claim, much less any counterclaim," it said.

Haigh’s statement refers to an interim hearing in the DIFC Court last week. At that hearing, at which Haigh’s lawyers were present, the court made an interim freezing order against Haigh’s assets, it said.

"GFH Capital does not consider it appropriate to comment on vague and unparticularised allegations made in press announcements which Mr Haigh has not to date attempted to detail or substantiate. GFH Capital does however categorically deny that it or its lawyers have behaved in any way inappropriately. It has absolute confidence in the legal systems of both Dubai and the United Kingdom which are investigating the claims, criminal and civil, against Mr Haigh," the statement said.

Reports yesterday said that Haigh was planning to file a rival legal case against GFH Capital (GFHC) for monies owed to him, which could be in “in excess” of the $5 million.

An Arabian Business report quoted a spokesman for Haigh as saying that Haigh was preparing a counter-claim against GFHC for monies owed to him “in excess of the amount of the claim made against him by GFH”. - TradeArabia News Service