A British citizen being sued by a subsidiary of the Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House (GFH) claims he was tricked into visiting Dubai, where he was subsequently arrested.

Former GFH Capital deputy chief executive David Haigh has been in custody in the UAE since May 18 on suspicion of fraud, embezzlement and money-laundering, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The 37-year-old ex-Leeds United managing director is accused of filing false invoices and siphoning millions of dinars out of the company for personal gain.

But London-based media consultancy Ian Monk Associates (IMA), representing Haigh, says that he has now filed a counterclaim in the UK courts against five parties, including GFH alleging a so-called 'tort of deceit.'

“Ongoing losses arising under the claim, which sets out what Haigh says were calculated deceits aimed at luring him out of the UK and into the jurisdiction of Dubai, are now being calculated,” said IMA in a statement.

“They are expected to be in the millions of pounds sterling.

“GFH Capital's actions, the claim alleges, involved luring David to the Gulf on the false pretence of a non-existent job offer with his former employers - GFH Capital or its Bahraini parent Gulf Finance House BSC - plus a discussion about payments owed to him.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for GFH said that the company had not been served any paperwork relating to this latest claim.

“Contrary to the statement that has been issued by David Haigh, no claim has yet been served on GFH Capital or any other party,” he said.

“It is clear that this statement is in reality just another blatant attempt by Haigh to attract attention in circumstances where GFH Capital maintains its claims of fraud against him in the Dubai International Financial Centre Court.”

A tort of deceit, in English civil law, provides a remedy for an individual, who has relied on a false representation to their detriment.

It is up to the individual to prove that the representation was false, was known to be false and was made with the intention to deceive, plus a loss must have been suffered as a consequence. - TradeArabia News Service