David Haigh

David Haigh
David Haigh talks with the media about human rights in the UAE.
Born David Lawrence Haigh
Manchester, United Kingdom
Education Southampton University LLB Hons Law
Occupation Lawyer and crisis manager, entrepreneur, co-founder of Detained, Stirling Haigh and Sport Capital
Years active 1995–present
Spouse(s) James Tomlinson
Parent(s) Ronald and Christine Elizabeth Haigh
Website www.davidhaigh.co.uk

David Lawrence Haigh is a British lawyer and international crisis and media manager, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Haigh is the former managing director of Leeds United Football Club and Chairman of Leeds United Ladies Football Club. He is the CEO and founder of the Sport Capital Group, a financier or Leeds United Football Club. Haigh was convicted of fraud charges in Dubai and spent 22-months in prison, where he claims he was tortured and raped. He is a campaigner for human rights and justice in the UAE, specifically on unfair trials, torture, Interpol and extraditions.

Haigh is the founder and joint managing director of Stirling Haigh, a dispute resolution, crisis and media management strategic advisor. He is also a partner in Detained in Dubai, a not for profit assisting those suffering injustices in the UAE. Haigh is an active campaigner for anti-homophobia in sport, credited with helping pave the way for LGBT players and managers in football.

Early life and family

David Haigh was born in Manchester, England. His mother and father are from Leeds, England.

Haigh's sexuality became public when in 2013, his friends spoke with the Daily Mail, stating that Haigh's sexuality was the reason for his torture in Dubai.[1] Haigh established the Fabio Fernandes Foundation to support young gay Brazilians struggling with drug addiction.

Education

Haigh attended Cape Cornwall School, England, notably the first and last school in England. He then studied at University of Southampton, where he graduated with a first class honours degree in law, LLB (Hons) in 1999. The following year, in 2000, he entered the College of Law Guildford, where he graduated in 2001 with a Diploma in Legal Practice.

Career

Early career

Haigh is qualified to practice as a lawyer in the United Kingdom, Eastern Caribbean and Dubai. He is a member of the Law Society of England and Wales and was admitted to the roll of solicitors in 2000.

Haigh joined west Mayfair law firm Palmer Cowen (later Fairmays LLP) in 2001 and has worked at several international law firms including DLA Piper and US law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP.

Haigh worked as a solicitor in London until 2005. He moved to the British Virgin Islands in 2005, and then to Dubai in 2006, where Haigh worked in investment banking, private equity and venture capital, as well as legal, regulatory and operational affairs.

Football

David Haigh pictured at Elland Road Stadium
David Haigh pictured at Elland Road Stadium

Leeds United

Haigh led GFH Capital's negotiations with the then-owner of Leeds United, Ken Bates, for the acquisition of the club.[2] The agreement was formally announced at a press conference at Elland Road on 20 December 2012. Haigh joined the Leeds United Board and in February 2013 was made a Director.[3] On 1 July 2013, Haigh was made Managing Director of the club following the departure of now Football League CEO Shaun Harvey.[4][5] On 11 April 2014, Haigh resigned as Managing Director following the purchase of the club by Massimo Cellino.

Sport Capital

In November 2013 Haigh, together with the main shirt sponsor Enterprise Insurance, Massimo Cellino and, it was reported, Ken Bates and Sports Direct Billionaire Mike Ashley, formed a consortium called Sport Capital to purchase the majority of the shares in the club from GFH Capital. Haigh is said to have fallen out with GFH Capital after they sold the club to Italian businessman Massimo Cellino and not Sport Capital. Sport Capital Launched a £33.5 million claim against GFH Capital. Sport Capital Launched a £33.5 million claim against GFH Capital.[6] Following the failure of the acquisition Sport Capital remained a financier of Leeds United.[7]

Penzance AFC

After the Cornish non-league side Penzance AFC reached out to Haigh on social media looking for help, he joined the board as a committee member with the team sitting bottom of the South West Peninsula League Division One West, the 11th tier of English football.

David Haigh and Radha Stirling speaking with BBC Scotland

Stirling Haigh

Along with Radha Stirling, Haigh is the co-founder and managing partner of Stirling Haigh, a London-based international dispute resolution, crisis management and strategic advisory firm which specializes in criminal and civil disputes in Dubai, the wider UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

Detained in Dubai

Haigh joined Radha Stirling in 2016 as partner on the British not for profit Detained in Dubai, focusing on assisting victims of injustice in the UAE. Since its foundation Detained in Dubai has assisted over 10,000 expats in the UAE and specifically Dubai who were victims of torture.

In 2018, Haigh and Stirling received backing to form Detained, an international NGO to provide support and assistance to those detained or facing detention and injustice around the world.

The UAE have publicly accused Haigh and Stirling of being funded by the state of Qatar. The UAE have stated that Haigh is a Qatari operative and is in alliance it to damage the UAE.

Politics

Haigh was Chairman of Conservatives Abroad UAE[8] and Vice Chairman of Gulf Tories and as its Vice-Chairman.[9]

Controversies

Leeds United

In December 2014, ignoring the instructions of its Islamic owners Haigh made Leeds United the first Stonewall Diversity champion for LGBT rights in Football.[10] On the same day former Leeds United Player Robbie Rogers joined Haigh on the pitch to launch his anti-discrimination charity.[11]

Rogers came out as gay after leaving Leeds United in 2011. LA Galaxy player Rogers publicly supported Haigh's 2017 ComeOut2Play campaign to support gay football players.

Arrest, torture, and ongoing litigation in Dubai

In May 2014 Haigh was arrested in Dubai.[12] His arrest related to allegations of fraud and embezzlement from his time at GFH Capital.[13] According to Dubai Police he is alleged to have embezzled AED23.7 million (about USD6.7 million) from his former employers. The irregularities were allegedly discovered during a routine internal audit.[14] Haigh claims that he was lured to Dubai under false pretences by GFH and their lawyers Gibson Dunn and Peter Gray.

In August 2015, Haigh was convicted of "breach of trust" and received a two-year jail sentence.[15][16]

Haigh was due to return to the UK following his earlier case when on the day of Haigh's release, Gulf Finance House filed a criminal complaint against Haigh that he abused them on Twitter, whilst he was in jail.[17] Haigh was acquitted of this charge in March 2016 and returned to the UK a few days later on Good Friday where he gave a series of television and press interviews setting out the treatment, torture abuse and unfair trials he suffered.[18]

In July 2018, Justice Sir Jeremy Cooke upheld a judgment in the Dubai International Finance Centre Courts that Haigh had forged invoices and fraudulently directed funds.[16] Haigh was ordered to pay nearly £3.8 million plus costs, and his counterclaims were dismissed.[16] GFH said it would start enforcement proceedings against Haigh in Dubai and London.[15][19]

Private prosecution

While in Dubai Haigh hired English Barrister Alun Jones QC and Thom Dyke and Keystone law Alison Bradley and Mark Spragg to file a private prosecution against GFH and their former lawyer Peter Gray of Gibson Dunn for alleged Human Trafficking and fraud.[20] Haigh withdrew the application when he lost access to lawyers. Since his release, Haigh has taken the case to judicial review at the High Court in England and has stated that he is committed to following through with the private prosecution.

Haigh's hired WikiLeaks lawyer Melinda Taylor and Alun Jones QC to take the UAE to the United Nations for breaches of his human rights including, torture, unfair trial, arbitrary detention and discrimination on grounds of sexuality.[21]

Scotland Yard investigation

In November 2017, The Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit confirmed that it had received an allegation of torture of a British national in Dubai, UAE between May 2014 and April 2016. They began investigations in to allegations made by David Haigh and others relating to accusations of torture, rape, and abuse of prisoners in Dubai jails.[22]

Mental health

Following release from jail in the UAE, Haigh has had a battle with PTSD. Haigh was reported to have felt "suicidal" whilst detained in 2015 following being tortured and raped.[23] He has talked widely about these feelings with prisoner charity Prisoners Abroad with whom he is now an ambassador.

Haigh spent two months in the Priory Hospital in 2015.[24]

Charity

Make A Wish Foundation

In April 2013 Haigh completed a 250 kilometres (160 mi) arctic charity husky trail to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which supports his niece Sienna, who lives with the genetic disorder Homocystinuria [25](HCU).[26]

Haigh was also an ambassador for Make-A-Wish Foundation and established a foundation to help victims of suicide in Brazil following the suicide of his former partner in Brazil.[27]

Du Justice

Haigh established Du Justice, a charity to provide funds to those in Dubai jails that cannot afford legal representation or food. Du Justice has since been merged with the David Haigh Foundation.[28]

Detained In Dubai

In 2016, Haigh joined Detained in Dubai, a team of advocates, consultants, and negotiators to assist with legal matters. Detained In Dubai has since featured in case, including that of Jamie Harron, a British national who was jailed in Dubai for touching another mans hip. Harron returned to his Scotland home after Detained In Dubai championed his case,[29] and he was freed by way of a special order from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Emirati ruler.

LGBT work and anti-homophobia in sport

During Haigh's leadership Leeds United became the very first Stonewall Diversity Champion in English football, championing gay equality within the club and Football. At the same time former Leeds United and LA Galaxy player Robbie Rogers launched his Beyond It anti-discrimination charity at Leeds United.

In November 2017, in an interview with The Mirror newspaper, he revealed that at least 20 footballers had confided in him about being gay. Haigh was open about being gay while in his role at Leeds United, and said to The Mirror that many gay players confided in him at the time as a result.[30] In November 2017, Pink News credited Haigh along with Robbie Rogers and Thomas Hitzlsperger with paving the way for LGBT players and managers in football.[31]

References

  1. ↑ "Jailed ex-Leeds chief David Haigh 'victim of homophobia'". Mail Online. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  2. ↑ "GFH Capital". www.gfh-capital.com.
  3. ↑ Crock of gold remains a mirage for Leeds United Inside Sport by David Conn
  4. ↑ "A good day for Leeds United". Marching on Together. 1 Jul 2013. Retrieved 28 Aug 2013.
  5. ↑ GFH chief David Haigh keen to dispel fears surrounding takeover of Leeds Sky News, 21 December 2012
  6. ↑ "Sport Capital sues GFH for £33m over failed Leeds United takeover bid". www.yorkshirepost.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  7. ↑ "Leeds United takeover bid falls through". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  8. ↑ https://www.conservativesabroad.org/news/iceman-and-marathon-runner
  9. ↑ https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/people/david-haigh/69698.article
  10. ↑ "Leeds United promotes gay equality through Stonewall's diversity programme". PinkNews. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  11. ↑ "Robbie Rogers Beyond It Campaign | Leeds United Now European Supporter | rukkle". rukkle. 2013-12-23. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  12. ↑ https://www.ft.com/content/9de513a8-e0f0-11e3-a934-00144feabdc0
  13. ↑ "GFH Capital says arrest of ex-senior exec unrelated to Leeds Utd sale". Arabian Business. 26 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Leeds United's ex-MD held for Dh23.7 million fraud in a Dubai firm". Khaleej Times. 23 May 2014.
  15. 1 2 Townsend, Sarah (8 July 2018). "GFH to pursue David Haigh's Dubai and London assets in damages enforcement". The National. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 Blow, John (6 July 2018). "Ex-Leeds United boss David Haigh told again to pay up over Dubai fraud". Yorkshire Evening Post. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Former Leeds United managing director to spend Christmas in Dubai jail". The Independent. 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  18. ↑ "British businessman David Haigh acquitted in Dubai over tweet". BBC News. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  19. ↑ Goncalves, Pedro (5 July 2018). "Dubai court orders ex-Leeds owner Haigh to pay $6 million". International Investment. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  20. ↑ Conn, David (2015-02-25). "Former Leeds chief seeks private prosecution over 'deceitful' Dubai arrest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  21. ↑ "Melinda Taylor joins David's legal team | Justice For Haigh". www.justice4haigh.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  22. ↑ "Met probes claims ex-boss of Leeds United was raped in Dubai prison". The Sun. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  23. ↑ "Ex-Leeds United MD David Haigh was 'suicidal' in Dubai prison". BBC Sport. 2015-03-14. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  24. ↑ Ducker, James (2017-04-03). "Exclusive: The former Leeds United director beaten in a Dubai prison now rebuilding his life in Cornwall". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-11-27.
  25. ↑ https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/football/281613/iceman-cometh/
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ "HAIGH ACCEPTS CHAIRMAN ROLE". www.leedsunited.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  28. ↑ "DU Justice". www.dujustice.com. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  29. ↑ "Jamie Harron home after being detained in Dubai for touching man's hip". Sky News. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
  30. ↑ West, Andy (2017-10-25). "At least 20 gay footballers in top leagues - but they're afraid to come out". mirror. Retrieved 2017-11-15.
  31. ↑ "How are we going to effectively tackle homophobia in football?". PinkNews. Retrieved 2017-11-17.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.