Fulham bid tycoon's death threat charge

One of the brothers who led the £85 million bid for Fulham Football Club faced criminal charges in London that carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

He was acquitted when court proceedings were abandoned after the Crown prosecution service offered no evidence.

Mr Falyali and his 29-year-old brother Husnu, who are of Turkish origin and have extensive holdings in Northern Cyprus, front a syndicate which tried to reach a deal with Fulham owner Mohamed Fayed.

Talks aimed at clinching the deal have collapsed in acrimony and Mr Fayed has denied that the club was for sale.

But a spokesman for the syndicate, Timor Rustem, insisted a deal was still possible. The disclosure that Mr Falyali had faced criminal charges in London was irrelevant, he said. He described the row that led to the charges against Mr Falyali as "a family disagreement." He added: "It has all been settled."

It was, however, a matter that led to Mr Falyali being held in custody and eventually bailed to appear at Woolwich Crown Court in February.

He pleaded not guilty to making threats to kill and destroy property against a garage and cafe owner who is also of Turkish origin.

According to the indictment, the threats were made on 11 October, 14 October and 16 October last year.

The alleged victim, who is believed to have withdrawn his complaint, is a businessman said to have had dealings with Mr Falyali.

After the prosecution offered no evidence, Mr Falyali was cleared of all charges. The brothers, and their extended family, have substantial property investments in London and elsewhere in Europe.

Little is known about them outside Northern Cyprus, however, and even there, the Falyali brothers are known as remote and rather secretive individuals. Their bid for Fulham is believed to be part of a project aimed at mixing football and gaming.

West Ham and at least two other British clubs are currently negotiating with a major American casino operator to take advantage of the proposed relaxation in British gaming laws.

The Falyali brothers run casinos and an online betting business in Northern Cyprus. The brothers are close friends and business associates of Polly Peck fugitive Asil Nadir. He has been linked to their Fulham bid syndicate, but their spokesman denied he is involved.

Like them, however, he has invested heavily in gambling in Northern Cyprus, where he took refuge after facing fraud charges in Britain in

1993. Gaming is one of the few lucrative businesses in the Turkish north of the island. It attracts players from across the Mediterranean and is heavily patronised by gamblers travelling from Israel.

The growth of gambling has been linked to claims that the industry has been infiltrated by gangsters and money launderers.

In 1999 the head of the Association of Casino Investors and Operators said of Northern Cyprus's government that "they have classified us in the same category as gambling houses, whorehouses and seedy coffee shops. Their goal is to shut us down".

So far, that has not happened, but with Turkey hoping to draw closer to EU membership, pressure has mounted on the Northern Cyprus government to properly regulate the gaming industry.