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A restaurateur who claims to have invented the now famous Birmingham
Balti is standing trial over an alleged multi-million pound mortgage
fraud. Mohammed Ajaib, 67, is the former owner of Al Faisals
in the Sparkbrook area of the city known as the Balti Triangle. He
claimed to have served the first of the special curries in 1977 in an
attempt to get an edge over his rivals.
However, at Birmingham Magistrates' Court he was charged with three
counts of conspiracy to defraud and two other counts of fraud. Also
in the dock were his sons Omar, 30, and Alfaisal, who worked at the
restaurant as managers.
They were both charged with two counts of acquiring, using or
possessing criminal property. Two other associates, 55 year-old Paul
Matthews and Dawinder Singh, were prosecuted as part of the same case.
It was alleged there was an attempt to defraud three banks, Lloyds
TSB, Alliance and Leicester and the Yorkshire Bank, of a total of
£2.9 million between January 2007 and February 2008 and the
charges relate to six properties in the Birmingham and Stoke area. If
found guilty, the restaurant owner could face up to 10 years in prison.
The case was passed from Birmingham Magistrates' Court to the city's
Crown Court due to the seriousness of the charges and will be heard
on March 16. Lloyds TSB said it did not wish to comment until after
the trial.
Mr Ajaib Senior claims to have invented the balti in Birmingham in
the 1970s when he moved from making meals for family and friends in
the immigrant community to opening a restaurant for the public in
Sparkhill. He says he wanted a meal which would stand out over his
rivals in the Asian food market, so began using the flat wok-style
dish to both cook and serve the food.
The Al Faisals restaurant is now under new ownership and the current
management is not involved in the court proceedings. |
