Documents seen by the Press and Journal show Calum Melville’s business in Dubai has also been the subject of falsified documents and criminal activity.
The paperwork includes numerous bounced cheques – which is a criminal act in Dubai – worth £28,000 and drawn on accounts for OIM Energy Group DMCC.
Another was a letter from a UK high-street bank and stamped by Mr Melville’s lawyers. It claimed his cash-strapped wife Susan Meville had more than £5million in bank accounts.
The Press and Journal has since confirmed that the letter is fake.
And when presented with a copy of the letter, Mr Melville said he was familiar with the document.
He claimed he was not responsible for it and said he has raised a complaint with his Dubai law firm Al Suwaidi & Company about the missive.
The letter appears to be from the Royal Bank of Scotland’s private banking office in Aberdeen, claiming that Mr Melville’s wife Susan “has various accounts with Royal Bank of Scotland with net funds of £5million sterling.”
The letter, which is dated February 26, 2016, is signed by someone named Louis Friend. A source close to RBS has since confirmed the lender has no record of any such employee at the bank.
The Press and Journal has also confirmed that the bank logo at the top of the letterhead was no longer being used by the bank at this time as it had changed its branding.
It is understood the bank’s fraud department has seen the letter.
Mr Melville’s lawyers, Al Suwadi & Company, in Dubai has also distanced itself from the document despite it containing an official looking stamp.
The law firm has since said it only certified the letter as a valid copy – and did not verify it was genuine.
A spokesman said: “Please be informed that we only attested that it is a true copy of the original document presented to us.
“We are not responsible nor authorised to verify the authenticity of the signature and contents of the document certified by us. We do not attest to the authenticity of the document.”
Melville also denied responsibility for rejected cheques worth 111,500 AED (£24,200) drawn on OIM’s former bank, First Gulf Bank.
The reasons for the cheques being refused were “signatory not authorised”, he said.
He claimed the signatures were forged. He said: “I know who signed them but it wasn’t me. I didn’t sign them.”
Another OIM cheque, drawn from Mashreq bank for 16,000 (£3,473) and signed by Mrs Melville bounced due to “insufficient funds”.
Documents also show that the business licence for his firm, OIM Energy Group DMCC, expired on January 30. But he dismissed this and said he had two months to renew it.
The Press and Journal has seen further evidence of companies in the UAE chasing OIM for money.
Middle East-based shipbuilding company Albwardy Damen is claiming an outstanding payment of $66,828 (£53,488) from OIM for crane repairs. It said the bill is now more than five months overdue.
Another crane and lift management firm based in Sharjah claims OIM owes them a further $26,000 (£20,800). Mr Melville has entered into a dispute with the company after he claimed the goods sold by the firm were stolen.
A spokesman for the company said: “Calum will use any excuse not to pay.”
