David Haigh pictured watching a Leeds United game while an executive at the English club in 2014. Getty Images
David Haigh pictured watching a Leeds United game while an executive at the English club in 2014. Getty Images
David Haigh pictured watching a Leeds United game while an executive at the English club in 2014. Getty Images
David Haigh pictured watching a Leeds United game while an executive at the English club in 2014. Getty Images

New setback for Dubai fraudster David Haigh in $5.4m legal battle


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A UK judge has rebuked Dubai fraudster David Haigh and restricted him from launching new legal challenges for two years against a $5.4 million order, after he failed to appear at his latest court hearing.

Mr Haigh joins about 130 people subject to extended civil restraint orders in the UK who are limited from bringing new claims to court without the permission of a judge because they refuse to accept decisions made in their cases.

Bahrain’s GFH Financial Group last month won permission to begin issuing eviction notices to Haigh and his tenants at apartments and a farmhouse in southern England as it seeks to recoup lost funds.

Mr Haigh in 2015 was convicted in Dubai of breach of trust after allegations that millions had been diverted into his and an associate's bank accounts using false invoices. He was jailed and subsequently returned to the UK.

A British judge imposed the new order on Wednesday because of the continued challenges and delays to the court proceedings requested by the former football executive, largely on the grounds of ill health.

High Court Judge Clare Moulder said Mr Haigh “cannot rely on his ill health to justify his persistent conduct in seeking to challenge findings which he does not accept,” according to a report by legal reporting service Law360.

Haigh was deputy chief executive of GFH Capital, the investment banking arm of the Bahrain group, and led its purchase of Leeds United Football Club in 2012. GFH is suing Haigh in the High Court to enforce the Dubai judgment, which was made in 2018.

Haigh, who now lives in Penzance in south-west England, did not turn up for his hearing last month and failed to show again on Wednesday. He has said that he wasn't well, and was trying find legal representation. The hearing went ahead after the judge called a recess to consider his absence and examined an alleged medical letter.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper

Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km

Match info

Karnataka Tuskers 110-3

J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16

Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs

K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Results

3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m; Winner: Dhafra, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)

3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Al Ajayib, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel

4pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Ashtr, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Majed Al Jahouri

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Falcon Claws, Szczepan Mazur, Doug Watson

5pm: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Al Mufham SB, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Badar Al Hajri

5.30pm: Sharjah Marathon – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,700m; Winner: Asraa Min Al Talqa, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

The%20specs
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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Updated: November 05, 2021, 9:32 AM`