Tens of thousands of pounds vanished from holiday firm’s books

An accountant spotted large sums of money had been ‘written off’ while working for an investment company at the heart of a £226m scam, a court heard. David Ames, 70, is accused of three counts of fraud by abuse of position while head of Harlequin Management Services South East Limited (HMSSE). Ames allegedly encouraged investors to purchase overseas properties in the Caribbean before they were built and then failed to give them anything in return. The prosecutors claim he persuaded…