Dubai court verdict on former Leeds United MD cyber-slander charge
FORMER managing director of Leeds United, David Haigh has avoided a two-year sentence in Dubai prisons after he was acquitted of cyber slander.
He was found innocent of charges relating to an “offensive” tweet about a business partner.
He was found not guilty over the tweets, which were directed at his former employer and former majority stakeholders in Leeds United, Gulf Finance House.
Bahraini-based GFH objected to tweets sent from his official Twitter account in March 2015. Mr Haigh denied he could have sent them from prison, blaming supporters back home with access to his Twitter account.
Ian Monk, Mr Haigh’s spokesman, said: “David is delighted that the nightmare of almost two years in jail… David now hopes to be reunited with his family in the UK for Easter. He will have more to say then.”
Mr Haigh has been serving a two-year prison sentence in Dubai since May 2014 for financial misappropriation, also relating to his dealings with GFH.
He was accused of £3m fraud but was initially detained without charge for 14 months.
At one point, following the departure of Ken Bates as owner of Leeds United, he was in the running to take over, but a deal involving businessman Andrew Flowers fell through. GFH subsequently sold a 75% stake in Leeds to Italian Massimo Cellino.
