10 August 2023 , 10:37
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A former Apprentice star says she was plunged into deep depression as she faces jail time in Dubai over a ‘bounced cheque’ that she says she never wrote.
Frightened Selina Waterman-Smith - who starred on Alan Sugar's hit BBC show in 2015 - says she could be locked up if she doesn't pay £27,750 but says she's been the victim of harassment, threats and extortion for five years and her life is in tatters by a former business colleague. The 39-year-old says someone used false contact information for Selina so the court never made contact with her, meaning she failed to appear - and was instantly declared guilty. The TV star has said the ordeal caused her to have a nervous breakdown and saw her lose her self-made business.
She says she was approached by the man posing as an investor to her existing business, offering to plough in £200,000 to her empire and they signed an agreement under UK law. According to human rights organisation Detained in Dubai, the investor was a conman who soon began demanding money from her business, including a salary, dividends and money for his own “investments” - despite not paying her a penny.
The brave businesswoman says she is being targeted by a former business partner (Selina Waterman-Smith)
She says the trauma left her in a heartbreaking place (Selina Waterman-Smith)She has told the Mirror about the brutal impact the saga has had on her life and although she says she fears prison, she won't go down without a fight. She has vowed to speak out and now wants to help other women in the UAE find their voice.
Selina said: "This man entered into an agreement with me in bad faith, bullied me into giving him money then cheated me out of my business I had spent years developing. He then launched a near identical business with his own investor, after admitting he had no funds of his own to invest in my brands.
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"I have complained many times as I am scared about these extortionate threats to effectively ruin my life if I don’t keep handing over money to him. Everyone from the authorities has said that I haven’t done anything wrong, and to “ignore him” as he’ll get bored. Sadly that has not been the case. My mental health has suffered and I have not been able to escape him for 5 years. I feel it is my duty to speak out about this, and potentially protect other women.
She appeared on the show in 2015 and opened up about her ordeals (PA)"In 2020 I decided to close my beloved business to escape him. I felt this was an empowered decision to walk away from a toxic and abusive person. I felt that he wouldn’t stop harassing me while our brands were competing. Around six months after the business closed, I found that he had made an allegation against me - wrongly filed as a bounce cheque case - but claiming in his testimony I borrowed money. It’s bizarre how this was even entertained by the court.”
It was later claimed the man wasn’t legally allowed to invest in the UAE and at this point it is alleged he even asked Selina to add him as a director on her trading licence so that he and his wife could get a residency visa. The alleged stress of the man’s demands eventually led to Selina having a mental breakdown and she even ended up closing her business following years of hard work and the loss of her own £75,000 investment.
Around this time she was also diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a kidney infection, anaemia and adrenal exhaustion and says the stress from living in a constant state of fear even caused her hair to fall out. Despite cutting all ties, Selina said the man still didn’t stop – instead allegedly mounting a campaign of ‘revenge’ threats and cyber harassment.
She added: "Because I was not notified about the case or had any chance to defence myself the complaint has gone ahead, and I have been denied any opportunity to disprove this fictional version of events. I am very disappointed that the legal system has unwittingly aided this man committing further fraud and extortion against me. He has made his intentions towards me clear in his numerous threats."
"After this complaint was lodged, he sent me a new email demanding a further AED 300K or he will open more cases. Given that no one can explain to me how he filed a bounce cheque in the first place without evidence It it terrifying," she went with evidence seen by the Mirror.
"There have been times in the last two years where have suffered extreme depression, as I can’t see any other way of escaping his abuse. He seems to relish having power over me and destroying a strong woman. A man so brazen about threats, harassment and committing fraud, is a real danger to me, and potentially other female victims."
London-based organisation Detained in Dubai, which is supporting Ms Waterman-Smith, confirmed there was no financial proof of any cheque in the full case file, which was never examined in court. The organisation's Radha Stirling said: "Securing a conviction against a rival in the UAE is often simply as easy as making an accusation, as we see in Selina's case.
"No substantial evidence is required, no proof, and the accused is frequently never even made aware of the case until they discover they have been convicted. It is disturbing that Selina decided to give the country a second chance after the nightmare of her violent assault 10 years prior, only to once again find herself victimised by both a ruthless predator and the legal system that unquestioningly took his side.
"It is a harrowing and cautionary tale - one of countless others - that Western tourists and business people should keep uppermost in their minds when considering visiting or moving to the UAE."
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