American singer R. Kelly has been under the spotlight ever since a number of sex abuse charges were filed against him. He recently pleaded not guilty and handed over his passport to U.S. authorities as part of his $1 million bail agreement. But, remorse doesn't seem to be a sentiment known to the singer.
The singer's lawyer recently sought to get him permission to travel for "a number of shows in Dubai." Except, those "scheduled performances" don't actually exist.
The Dubai government has denied those claims, reassuring the public that R. Kelly was never scheduled to perform in the UAE.
"Authorities in Dubai have not received any request for a performance by singer R. Kelly, nor are there any venues that have been booked," Dubai Media Office said in a statement.
The alleged five shows were meant to take place from April 17 to 19.
"He fabricated concerts ... in an attempt to flee the country"
According to the BBC, a motion filed in court claimed that R. Kelly also plans to meet members of the Emirati royal family during his trip. The so-called meet-and-greet was also denied by the UAE.
The singer "has not been invited by the Dubai royal family for a performance."
In an email to The Associated Press, Kelly's lawyer Steven A. Greenberg said the singer "had a signed contract with a legitimate promoter."
"Any information that was included in the motion to travel was from that contract. We did not say he was invited by the royal family, but the contract did provide that he would make himself available to meet with them," he told AP.
However, the filing did not "elaborate on where Kelly was allegedly supposed to perform. There was no immediately publicized event for which Kelly was known to be a performer, nor did anyone in the entertainment industry hear about one," according to Gulf News.
Greenberg told AP "it was a necessity for the singer to fly to Dubai in order to generate income to make child support."
In February, the R&B singer was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse dating back to 1998. This came after a six-part documentary titled Surviving R. Kelly aired in the United States. In it, more than 50 women claimed they were abused by the singer.
In 2002, the singer faced "21 counts of child pornography from a sex tape with a girl who was allegedly underage." He was not convicted at the time as prosecutors could not have proof that the girl was underage.