Why so many Harlequin companies?
It happened like this… we were sitting around last Friday discussing how David Ames and his Ponzi partners have more companies than anybody knows about. Marketing done by this company, land held by that company, building done by another company supplied by another company delivering materials.
It all collapsed and left eyesores and abandoned building sites that are a blight upon Barbados and other nations.
And then somebody asked if anyone had run the word “Harlequin” at the Barbados Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office.
Everybody looked at each other with that “aren’t we a bunch of idiots?” look. Nope, nobody had done it.
So we fired up the computer, logged into Anonymouse.org to cover our asses, and did the deed.
Here they are, folks… All the Barbados-registered companies with the word “Harlequin” in their name…
HARLEQUINS
POLLY HARLEQUIN PRODUCTIONS
HARLEQUIN DEVELOPMENTS
HARLEQUIN (BARBADOS) PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED
HARLEQUIN BOUTIQUE HOTEL LIMITED
HARLEQUIN (BARBADOS) PROPERTY LIMITED
HARLEQUIN LUXURY HOTEL LIMITED
HARLEQUIN BOUTIQUE HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED
HARLEQUIN LUXURY HOTEL MANAGEMENT LIMITED
HARLEQUIN PROPERTY (SVG) LIMITED
Truly, the government looked the other way on all of this. How many of these companies filed proper reports? You know how it is here on this rock… a political donation takes care of having to worry about filing the paperwork for companies. No worries about annual reports if you make a big donation to the ruling party.
Barbados Free Press 
there are quite a few !
Try the same search here:
http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo
A question you should ask is do you think you’ll complete and gain title on any property you have paid to complete on, with yet another company Ames has closed or had closed in the UK.
You mean the one with no bank account! I never thought HH&R was a cash only business.
Don’t know how it all worked in detail. I wouldn’t complete on a garden hut with anything Ames has a hand in!
Imagine is you got a call from Dan Dalligan offering you a great deal to complete on your unit at Fucament Bay
Dan works for HH&R in Essex, Dan talked about money being held in escrow accounts, all you need to do is send your money to Barclays in Essex – all will be well.
Fast forward…..
HH&R in Essex goes bust!!!! shock horror, what about the completion money I paid???
Don’t worry that was actually sent to a Caribbean company, that just happens to have a VERY similar name to HH&R.
HH&R (UK) does not have a bank account 😉
The money has gone to HH&R ( somewhere in the Caribbean) but it’s not held in escrow.
The question: Why would you have such a set up and what has happened to your money?
Of course, it could be sat there all safe and sound.
You say give the ruling party a donation ? Should that read give a person in the Party a donation
But when you can’t make a donation,,,,,,,,what happens then?
The list of UK-based Harlequin companies is even longer, many with almost indistinguishable names.
Some investors are alleging that a number of them recently completed on their purchases with Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited (06904994) which promptly went into liquidation.
In the London Gazette’s recent Notice ID 2221613 Notice Code 2443 issued on 24 Oct, it is stated that Luxury Resort Services was a previous name of ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS LIMITED/Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited; this is incorrect.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2221613
The similarly named Harlequin Hotels and Resorts Limited (05838190) is NOT the same company as Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited (06904994) which went into administration in Oct 2014.
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2207268
On 1 May 2013 Carol and Daniel Ames resigned leaving just David E Ames as a director of HH&R. On 16 May 2013 the company name was changed to Luxury Resort Services Limited (05838190). Now why should they want to do that?
https://www.opencompany.co.uk/company/05838190/luxury-resort-services-limited
Luxury Resort Services Limited is NOT a previous name of Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited. It is still trading. Annual Returns were filed on 25/06/2014. The Administrator should be aware of this unless the Board aka director David Ames has given him the wrong details. Why should the notice carry misleading information? I am wondering if the incorrectly named company in this notice has been included to deliberately cause even more confusion for the creditors and investigators such as the SFO and Essex Police. Likewise, is the alteration of company names within the Harlequin group intentionally to confuse or deceive?
The list of UK-based Harlequin companies is even longer, many with almost indistinguishable names.
Some investors are alleging that a number of them recently completed on their purchases with Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited (06904994) which promptly went into liquidation.
In the London Gazette’s recent Notice ID 2221613 Notice Code 2443 issued on 24 Oct, it is stated that Luxury Resort Services was a previous name of ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS LIMITED/Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited; this is incorrect.
The similarly named Harlequin Hotels and Resorts Limited (05838190) is NOT the same company as Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited (06904994) which went into administration in Oct 2014.
On 1 May 2013 Carol and Daniel Ames resigned leaving just David E Ames as a director of HH&R. On 16 May 2013 the company name was changed to Luxury Resort Services Limited (05838190). Now why should they want to do that?
Luxury Resort Services Limited is NOT a previous name of Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited/Administration Services Overseas Limited. It is still trading. Annual Returns were filed on 25/06/2014. The Administrator should be aware of this unless the Board aka director David Ames has given him the wrong details. Why should the notice carry misleading information? I am wondering if the incorrectly named company in this notice has been included to deliberately cause even more confusion for the creditors and investigators such as the SFO and Essex Police. Likewise, is the alteration of company names within the Harlequin group employed intentionally to confuse or deceive?
This has been set up to confuse the investor, ames is too thick to think of it- makes you wonder if his legal team advised him; ethical i doubt it. SRA complains galore for the legal boy Abrahams:-)
On the contrary, despite the inept impression he gives people, Ames is highly skilled in achieving what he wants whether it is by evasion, duplicity or intimidation through litigation and gagging orders.
Never underestimate him!
SRA complaint against Abrams, Poor boy, Ames will drop him.
This from a Harlequin update was posted here by Anonymous
October 30, 2014 at 10:50 pm
‘Our goal is within reach
Unfortunately, due to matters of confidentiality and security, we cannot disclose all of the positive news from this month, but we can state that Harlequin is overcoming obstacles and making significant headway in a number of areas.
We believe we are just months away from investors witnessing the benefits of our restructuring process. By mid-2015, we expect to be in a much stronger position with finance either in place or ready to be announced. Thank you all for your patience and please continue to bear with us. We are almost there.
Regards,
Harlequin’
AMES AND HIS COTERIE LED INVESTORS TO BELIEVE THAT HE WAS RESTRUCTURING, WHEN SINCE SEPTEMBER 2014 (AT LEAST) AMES KNEW THAT IT WAS HMRC THAT WAS MOST LIKELY GOING TO TAKE THE COMPANY OUT. WAS THIS WHY HE ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE THE COMPANY’S NAME AND BURY THE NEWS?
(Sorry, I am not shouting. I wanted to break up the two areas of text.)
🙂
Petitions to Wind Up (Companies)
In the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division)
Companies Court No 6835 of 2014
In the Matter of ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS LIMITED
(Company Number 06904994)
[formerly known as Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited (06904994)]
and in the Matter of the Insolvency Act 1986
A Petition to wind up the above-named Company, Registration Number 06904994, of 11 Honywood Business Park, Honywood Road, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3HW, presented on 25 September 2014 by the COMMISSIONERS FOR HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, of Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4RD, claiming to be Creditors of the Company, will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, 7 Rolls Buildings, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, on 10 November 2014, at 1030 hours (or as soon thereafter as the Petition can be heard).
Any persons intending to appear on the hearing of the Petition (whether to support or oppose it) must give notice of intention to do so to the Petitioners or to their Solicitor in accordance with Rule 4.16 by 1600 hours on 7 November 2014.
The Petitioners` Solicitor is the Solicitor to, HM Revenue and Customs, Solicitor`s Office, South West Wing, Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4RD, telephone 020 7438 6920. (Ref SLR1716065/N.)
29 October 2014
I’m a bit behind on all this. Did anyone giving Ames money to complete this year actually….well complete and now own property, or did the money disappear into one of his companies? Or even get filtered out in some way like the £250m million in HMSEE (£40-50 mill still unaccounted for – isn’t it?) Just a question or two- I like to keep up to speed.
I have been an active follower and investor in Harlequin for several years. I have gone from supporting Harlequin, and yes writing those reviews on TA after visiting Buccament Bay, the very same one’s Harlequin encouraged to do so; by saying it would help my investments.
I have posted on various forums, both positive and accusatory allegations against Harlequin.
Furthermore, I have attended the RL meetings, met CLC, David Ames; you name it. I’ve met them.
I have watched sometimes with anger, sometimes with amusement the postings on BFP, especially the ones from both end of the Harlequin spectrum.
Have I reached a conclusion?
Yes, I have, not based on any histrionics or emotion just my own opinion, nothing more.
I have concluded, sadly that Harlequin and the Ames family are doomed to fail. There is, nor has there been any finance, never will be with Ames at the helm. David Ames is delusional and an outright liar.
Some investors will no doubt get their money back via the SIPP claims. Others who invested cash; unless they have the stomach, and money to sue the agents, they have lost the lot.
The insolvency firms will pick over the bones; no doubt recovering pennies in the pound, the usual situation -fees equal to the value of the assets released.
Regarding CPC / RL without these firms (who are in it to make money, and why not?) Harlequin would have been able to continue this scam by using investor’s money to attack the brave few who fought, and continue to fight Harlequin.
In this, I include BFP, Nikki Crozier, Paul Walton, Gareth Fatchett, and the long, but informative posts on BFP from many posters (however, I suspect they are the same person)
The support and help from the investors on the RL forum, some who have become almost friends. These people have had the most vile and derogatory things posted about them, but refuse to be bullied by the Harlequin machine. Well done and thanks you!
I do not have time for anyone who supported Harlequin to make a fast buck This includes, but not limited to, the agents, SIPP providers, the IFA’s, many of the staff that worked for Harlequin. In my mind, they were blinded by greed (maybe I was) and turned a blind eye to what is possibly is a Ponzi scheme.
One thing I actually believe is that Ames and his cohorts will be made to pay, one way or another, for their actions. Things, in my experience have a funny way of balancing the books.
All the best from
A genuine investor 😉
One thing I actually believe is that Ames and his cohorts will be made to pay, one way or another, for their actions. Things, in my experience have a funny way of balancing the books.
All the best from
A genuine investor 😉
Well said. Ames many would say is truly delusional- a Walter Mitty in the flesh. His delusions are only outmatched by those of his followers. I remember one meeting I attended when his opening lines (asking us all to be grateful he was so grand to come) “Well I’ve taken time out from feeding my animals to come and see you all today” When I asked him where the £7 million was he’d taken out in dividends, salaries and expenses was he swerved and answered a nicy nicy question from a plant. I even had to “bounce” some midget doorman to get into the meeting. Yup he was vetting “trouble makers” before the meeting began. Ames is a planner and in his world bright or not (not) he’s cunning and has been around the block a few times. Beware. So did anyone complete? Or did more money get lost?
David Ames Redefining PERJURY IN THE UK.
This will catch up with you.
Holkam Compensation is on Risk Warning and is pushed by Ames and Harlequin.
It is not regulated and i hope your funds do not disappear.
Don’t know them, and they wont be betting my funds. Anyone that gave Ames more money needs a service.
Harlequin property brochures from 2008 to 2012. Great pictures and plans but nothing was built.They just lied and lied.Only BB a few properties built.
Eventually partial plans were passed in 2012 on ST lucia and Dominion Republic.Harlequin then decided that due to to the beautiful views they wished to explore improved drawings and start again.
Why was this,because they would never build these properties and were just taking up time.
If there is any investor who needs advice and help, i believe that Regulatory Legal are now taking on new clients.
I remember Ames told me, you are lucky I speak with investors the CEO of Barclays would not meet investors, like him!
What about the story about him saying the only difference between him and Donald Trump is that Ames does not need finance?
Or was that can’t get it LOL
Arh Yes Holkham who promised not to chase the agents for a split in commission with TM – naughty Rob
Yes Bob.
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/11101423.Vince_Cable_and_victims_of_fraudster_eyeing_his_luxury___700_000_home/
Come on Bobit comments
One down……………………………
Yes, I have been told the thing TailorMade fear most is the SFO. Apparently, some of this OTT commission may have been diverted?
Whatever, could this mean? 😉
IN “Deed” Has anyone looked at the land registry in Buc Bay?
Bob, what’s up? Has Dave still told you to keep ya old god shut?
“God?” Oh dear oh dear.
Let us not forget the Stenning family, mother and 2 sons ( maybe more) who have been with Ames from the beginning.Will have had substantial
earnings and also part of that of £ 1,000,000 owed to staff at HMSSE.
Where do they live?
tell us more. can’t say I’m that worried too much about staff salaries although one was good and honest. Look at the salary bill in the accounts. Then interrogate it.
Dead easy, but i’m not paying!
http://www.192.com/people/search/
It’s not dead easy if they are not on the electoral roll dumbo.
This is free:
https://www.opencompany.co.uk/profile/2316355/sunny-james-michael-stenning
But they are Dummy!
“Sunny Stenning”. He’s a regular on “My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding” isn’t he?
If there is evidence that SIMON TERRY, ANDY REGAN and DANIEL ABRAHAMS have broken the LAW i want them prosecuted.
Worry not, the SRA are involved 🙂
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5614804,0.4940692,3a,37.5y,267.04h,83.52t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sza3I9jvPPyHACceeSJEFDQ!2e0
A Pink house with Vinny on the step!!
funny – I live overseas but someone here from the area said first off gypsies, I know!
@Army – What the hell does that mean?
Uh- Gypsies- observation of former comment- guppies- no soz gypsies? So – ex pats recognise family. Yup recognise from former local stock..
@Army I give up !
Someone mentioned Stennings Gypsy stock, or maybe I’ve got an inference wrong as I’m not familiar with “my big fat gypsy”. Where I live half the year overseas, we have a lot of people from the Ames region working here. One of them a business man says he seem to recall the Ames family being of Gypsy (well he didn’t use gypsy but means the same) stock. I just passed this on as a cryptic comment. Might be useful if someone was doing some background.
Sunny & Vinny Stenning are the same person. Definitely part of the plot to cheat members of the British public out of their life savings, pensions & homes.
Sunny would have said anything to make a sale, lied about finance, progress, and hidden the grim truth, Dave Ames never , ever, had the resources or skills to build even 5% of the promised Hotel rooms.
The emphasis was always, sell, sell, sell, and don’t concern yourself with the consequences, here’s a big fat commission cheque to help you get over any moral dilemmas you may have.
Risk Warning @Risk_Warning · Nov 4
Hard to believe but true. Harlequin’s latest crashed company* ran up 200k HMRC debt without a bank account. That’s some going #harlequin
*That would be ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS LIMITED
(Company Number 06904994)
Genius.
Well, not the only one that likes to have a couple of names, wonder if he had a bank account 😉
According to Professional Advisor dot com, (14 Aug 2014) Ames was negotiating with investors claiming that the FSCS backed his futile trust and in the full knowledge that he owed HMRC £200k who were in the process of issuing a Winding Up Petition for recovery of the debt.
REVEALED: HARLEQUIN BOSS MISLEADS INVESTORS ABOUT FSCS SUPPORT FOR TROUBLED TRUST
Harlequin chairman David Ames is misleading investors into thinking the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) backs a controversial trust he is trying to use to rescue his troubled overseas property scheme – a claim the FSCS denies – information obtained from separate sources suggests.
In a conference call with about 70 Harlequin investors on 31 July, Ames said he and his legal team had met with the FSCS, that it supports the Harlequin trust, and that investors must join it or risk missing out on compensation, according to two sources who were in on the call, including one who kept a transcript.
But when these claims were put to the FSCS, the consumer redress body said it had not advised any claimants on whether or not to join the Harlequin trust group…
more here: http://www.professionaladviser.com/professional-adviser/news/2360319/revealed-harlequin-boss-misleads-investors-about-fscs-support-for-troubled-trust
Very odd that people continue to be taken in by Ames, very odd indeed.
Hats off to all those involved in snaring the GV
What happened to TheTrust? Is that a dead dog?
Dead as a door nail. Still waiting for the finance Harlequin told me was close, 5 years ago.
Harlequin is dead, just that Ames lives in his own Walter Mitty World, can’t accept the fact he has failed again.
Bang on- I truly believe he’s delusional. In fact that may form part of his defence.
What’s he been doing in SVG recently?
I don’t care what he’s been doing he is unimportant now.
They must be so proud of their successful businessman son Matt.
They must be so proud instilling such strong family values.
We have reported all three in house solicitors to the SRA, many counts of malpractice.
Without these bully boys Ames would not have been able to carry on. Now, as for lying in Court and misleading…….
All I can say is you have been very greedy and deserve what you get.
The GV’s response:
‘I’m not a legal man, that’s why I (overpay) them’
If I was a betting man, I would say they have some explaining to do.
And as for that tape recording…….
You must be happy now Bobbit, Laura Miller ran the story about the transcripts.
The little blurb about her at the bottom is a nice touch too:
“…….[Laura] has reported on some of the biggest failures in the investment world, including Keydata, Arch Cru and Harlequin Property.”
Harlequin is one of the BIGGEST FAILURES in the investment world. What do you think of that Bobbit? It wasn’t that long ago that even suggesting Harlequin was anything other than a perfect investment meant you felt the full force of Carter F*ck. But now the puppet master is stumbling, and stumbling badly. He can’t afford Carter F*ck, and now Laura Miller is using one of the “Biggest failures in the investment world” to advertise her skills as a journalist. That’s nice don’t you think Bobbit?
Harlequin seems to be over, all that needs to be done is for
Gabriel to blow and them walls will come tumbling down
Lots happening in the background..
If you had heard of a lawyer who was educated at Oxford or Cambridge.Who was highly respected and had worked on other major frauds and legal battles with about a 95% success rate.He also worked with NO 5 Chambers and also had a very thick skin { which he needed on this case}.
Would you expect him to win in the end?
Absolutely never in doubt.
Ah Laura Miller, GF mouthpiece. Wonder if she has ever done any real investigative journalism, or just has GF hand up her back working her mouth. Wonder if she will report on any visit to RL by the SRA? Don’t hold your breath on that one.
^ ^
Very well-spelt BS Bob Storey
0/10 for your veracity
Reported on ……. Keydata, Archive Cru and HP. All RL cases. “Now Gareth what would you like me to post next. Have you got something you can slip me?”
Meanwhile, there are still court cases going on in St Vincent; some from a couple of weeks ago:
Click to access criminalassizescasemanagement20th_21stoctober2014masterraulstonglasgowag.pdf
So you’re not denying the content of the story then Bob? You’re just miffed that more of the GV’s lies have been exposed.
Quick! Attack the messenger. “I like this news not! Bring me better news!” (that’s Brian Blessed in Black Adder I)
Content of what story? Where has the transcript been reported? No message on this blog.
Bob, stop being stupid. Go and ask Betty for your pills.
How can someone with no money defend all this legal action?
Maybe by not paying any tax?
Al Capone was finally done by the tax man…. just saying.
As usual no answer. Where has the transcript been reported? Link? But anyone who thinks the only poster on here is “bob” really is stupid.
But come on tedious, Bob is a bit thick….. he does give me a laugh.
What do you think of all this legal stuff going on?
No you are the one who is bit thick by referring everything back to “bob” That’s why you are tedious. No one is going to take any of your questions seriously. They are pointless.
And where is the link?
If I were a betting man, this is time to attack Ames, he is weakend.
His legal team are under investigation.
Cash is tight.
Use his tactics and run him out of money and sue him to death.
His wife is just about to crack up even more.
Look at SG ling about numpty
Is there a way to download the “Report on outcome of Mediation”?
It leads me to believe that something has been decided.
Well the GV keeps telling people the contract is in SVG, so sue me there.
Looks like that’s what people have done.
Bit like stating the FSCS supporting his trust.
Or, the Shiplys extension.
Did he honestly think investors would take his word for it?
“Look at the SG ling about numpty?” What ARE you on about?
It’s gathering speed….. no stopping the inevitable demise of Harlequin.
It was always going to happen, it’s only ever really been a question of when.
This Bob- is that Bob tall Storey aka Koko (I have a) cabana? Wonder of he’s in it then?
Funny really, when ever anyone asked any meaningful questions of Bob, he’d duck them too.
Now that is tedious.
Link link link link? Where is it “no one will dare use the transcripts” looks like that quotation is true then. Pointless post from pointless person.
Bob would also repeatedly demand evidence, yet ignore any evidence that was staring him in the face- To the point of claiming he got viruses and couldn’t view the most damning of it all.
So tedious
Oh yes- I’ve no doubt he has viruses. Give me fever eh!
Well you have just proved that posts on here are bull***t. No proof or link to Laura Miller posting the transcripts. Worse than tedious, plain lies.
This is nearly as funny as the Stennings watching BFP for Dave and jumping in to say they are not on the electoral role.
Read the story Bob. She quotes directly.
Man you are tedious.
I love feeding the troll(s) Now where is the link, that’s right a LINK? Woff Woff. Let’s see you bite again. 0/10 for veracity haha lol
Tedious that just shows how ill you are. Have fun trying to feed yourself when you have NO PENSION.
Is that the script today Bob? Deflect attention away from the content of the story?
Many, many more people now know about more claims made by the GV that have been proven to be false. I believe they are called lies, but then again what do I know? That’s for the police and the SFO to determine.
How about a comment on the content of the story Bob? Or are you not allowed to?
Link link link link link?
Too lazy to scroll up a bit BS Bob?
Bob why not email her. I’m sure she would love to have your
return email since you are such a font of information:
laura.miller@incisivemedia.com
Link link link . There is no link. Why should anyone email her for an article when a link could be posted on here. Why would Laura Miller want anyone’s email apart from GF.
Finally the GV is about to meet his demise, Mr. David Campion, The other GV of and founder of ARGO ( the laundrette in Barbados), has no idea of the trouble he now faces, the insolvency documentation for ASOL also demonstrates that Harlequin Developments was trading insolvently. Campion was the Managing Director of Harlequin Developments, and hence as the Director of that company was committing an illegal act, and could well find himself personally responsible for some of the debts of that company. No point Mr. Campion in running to Ames on this, looks like Ames will have stitched you up nice and good here. 😃😃😃😃. Could not happen a nicer bloke.
And it gets worse for young Campion, I wonder if he ever looked at the accounts compiled by Jim Baker for Harlequin Developments, well maybe he should, I can see dozens of investor claims against HD and Campion over the next number of years, the Jim Baker accounts don’t lie…………..
And what about the allegations of theft being levelled against young Campion? 😃😃😃😃😃. Surely not I hear you say, well thanks to the GV, Campion is in the firing line here too. 😃😃
And on a happier note, The GV entered ASOL into a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation some weeks back, today in the UK high Court, HMRC petitioned the Court to have ASOL wound up. Looks like the GV comitted an illegal act by entering the company into a CVL whilst there was a HMRC petition pending. HMRC will have new liquidators appointed to that company as a result,
I do wonder if Dave Campion has any idea of the ramifications of this and of the shit storm about to come his way 😃. The GV does as he found out today. 😃😃😃. Mr. Campions woes are just beggining, funny that. Others will soon shortly pursue the man behind Argo.
Bit late for the Man from Oman to be up.
A link just for you Bobit
http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/court-lists/list-companies-winding-up
HMRC
Busy redefining Court cases all round the World
Another link
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/dmbmanual/dmbm605010.htm
Not Bobs Transport ltd! What’s the world coming to! Still no LM link then. So no one published the transcripts then haha lol
When HMSC start to look at you, that’s a big problem. I wonder who tipped them off?
Evolution Circuits! They were a customer of mine. Who is HMSC? Is that a new government department? Perhaps it’s in Jordan? His Majesty’s Serial Criminals perhaps?
HMRC coming to look at Bob’s tax affairs!!
It’s Dave Man from Amman, Not Man from Oman, different place, different country, Amman is a city in Jordan located in the Northern Gulf and Oman is a country in the Southern Gulf, and where may I ask has Mr. Man ever been sued by the GV nor indeed where anywhere does it state that Dave Man from Amman has ever engaged in criminal activity.
Oh of course, anyone who dares speak out against the GV must be a criminal. Wonder what Dave Man from Amman has on the Great Visionary. 😉😉😉😉?
Oh yes of course it’s all in the file here in front of me, the same file the authorities have. It’s a large file so might take a week or so off to read and digest its contents.
And for those who are remotely interested its 22.14 in Amman right now. But 00.03 in Oman. See Amman does have DST ( Daylight Savings Time) but Oman does not. Amman is the Capital of Jordan. Muscat is the Capital of Oman.
And Dave Man in Amman is doing most well, Thank you very much, and yes he still maintains a total distrust and immense dislike of The Great Visionary, and has felt it his duty to provide the Authorities in the UK with all the documentation he has on the Ames family, and on all the business activities of Carol, Dan, Dave and Matt. Of course the Ames family know this, through the disclosure and discovery process.
Has Dave Man from Amman broken any confidentiality by doing this? Is it covered by an NDA ? Probably but who gives a shit, aside from Dave, Carol and Dan.
Good Man!
The GV is looking to pull out of the WK case. Looks like the recent Judgment in the UK reduced his chances of success from 60% to below 10%. He approached Kennedy’s (Lawyers for Wilkins Kennedys insurers) last week for a drop hands deal. The deal has been rejected by the equity partners in Wilkins Kennedy, who are now extremely bullish about seeing this all the way to court.
A few former “Directors” of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts were approached to give statements against Wilkins Kennedy but have thus far declined the kind request by Ames, it appears that the cash payments made in return for statements has dropped considerably from that paid by Ames in the past.
And Bob, I know, so I have no need to prove this to you. Watch this space my friend. 😃😃
Will this tragic saga ever end?
Of course as DA lawyers are on ” NWNF” they would be keen to drop this now. Did you find this information on a train? Still no LM link. Nice try at changing the subject. Now where is that ficticious link I wonder.
Sorry was someone looking for the link below.
http://www.professionaladviser.com/professional-adviser/news/2360319/revealed-harlequin-boss-misleads-investors-about-fscs-support-for-troubled-trust
Crazier did a drop hands deal.
Who cares about Audrey? Carter Lemon Cameron are the Solicitors.
2nd completion for BB announced.
Was it Bobby? Did he get a title?
No, I think not. There aren’t any titles are there? No access agreements either. How much was the alien land holders licence?
So many questions.
HMRC investigation into Harlequin announced.
So few answers…..
I think HMRC will have a number of questions to ask David Edward Ames.
I think the SFO will have a number of questions to ask David Edward Ames.
So little time…..
So many legal cases to fight, America, England, SVG.
Ermmmm, what about FINANCE
Ames is a worried man this evening.
Abrams, Regan are facing some serious questions, Terry thinks by walking when he did, that he is immune, not so.
Taylor is being sought. Dalligan, Campion and the Harlequin propagandist Ronan should now be sweating a little.
Stenning who is brain dead, and who is following in the family foot steps, is not concerned.
Tricker is facing the spot light, will her absolute loyalty to Ames, be her downfall ? all those horses, who will look after them. ?
Geddes the man who keeps deleting the servers accidently and who happens to be related to Ames, is now swimming in a pool of brown stuff.
Hefin Rees QC walked, in a vain attempt to keep as much distance between him and Ames, not sure if this will help.
Smith who Campion and Newman (the PID Newman), successfully ousted by providing evidence to Ames that Smith had his fingers in the pie, has been an instrumental pawn in the downfall of Ames.
Coggle former CFO of ICE and confidant of Ames, now employed by PID and Smith in the Dominican Republic has also proved to have been an invaluable font of hugely relevant information and another pawn in the downfall of Ames.
Baker also facing some serious probes, Baker stated that all the financial information was provided to him by Harlequin, but forgot to state that one of his more senior employees was also acting FD for Harlequin, Chalmers.
Many questions to be answered, many questions. And even better many employees to answer them.
Paddy I’m sure these people will be so happy you have give the a special mention.
At the same time as Ames is fighting off many legal cases in SVG, along with HMRC taking action against Harlequin in England; the demented dwarf sends out an update saying how wonderful things are after he managed one more (apparent) completion. 😉
It would be funny if it were not so pathetic. Note the update is lacking in it’s usual bile……… I wonder why?
The GV has instigated one of his greatest diversionary tactics ever regarding HMRC.
‘Someone’ has spilled the beans to HMRC regarding the huge commissions paid to agents.
This has already resulted in 4 agents having a full tax inspection. ‘Someone’ has inferred that tax may not have been paid on all these payments.
Agents not known for their intelligence seemingly thought closing the company down makes it all go away; how wrong are they!
This will start a full investigation into payment to all agents.
@ HMRC…
Good!
Can you honestly see them declaring all that tax! I believe the tax inspections go back 7 years, all bank accounts all transactions.
Tailormade must be crapping it
HMRC can go back as long as they want if they deem it so. Seven is the norm but not I’m advised a legal limit
Administrative Services Overseas Limited “ASOL”) was subject to a winding up petition hearing on the 7th November 2014. Does this company have your money? Love the name- Ames doesn’t do irony ASOL heh heh
You only have to keep records going back 7 years
Could someone post the latest update please ?
How long to keep your records
You must keep your records for at least 5 years after 31 January of the relevant tax year.
Example
If you send your 2013 to 2014 tax return online by 31 January 2015, you must keep your records until at least the end of January 2020.
Very late returns
If you send your tax return more than 4 years after the deadline, you’ll need to keep your records for 15 months after you send your tax return.
SOURCE GOV.UK. As I understand it there s no limit to a criminal investigation
@Update, 1.27pm
Dear All,
We are delighted to confirm that a second Harlequin investor has now successfully completed on their property investment and received Title at Buccament Bay Resort!
Not only is this excellent news for the rest of Harlequin’s completion clients – a number of whom we expect to join the other two investors very soon now that the Vincentian processes are smoothing out – but it demonstrates once again the progress that Harlequin is making towards realising our investors’ goals.
As previously disclosed, what Harlequin is achieving in St Vincent is groundbreaking for all concerned, which had the consequence of causing delays in the local processes, but we are confident that the experience will simplify completions going forward.
Completion units available now
There are still a limited number of units available for completion in Buccament Bay Resort and blu, St Lucia. Completion options are available; please contact us for more information.
If you are an existing purchaser and have balancing funds available, please contact Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning so we can begin working towards the realisation of your investment. Their contact details are as follows:
01268 24 24 60
ddalligan@harlequinhotelsandresorts.com
vstenning@harlequinhotelsandresorts.com
Regards,
Harlequin
Even if one was to give the Harlequin leadership the benefit of the doubt and say that the disastrous outcome was not owing to any pre-meditated wrong-doing but rather crashing incompetence then it does beg a further question.
If the leaders were so grossly incompetent in nearly every respect, how is it that they showed the finest skills in hiding this from prospective investors? It seems that all their attention was focused on maintaining the fiction of a smooth running operation when the reality was starkly different. It takes some effort to consistently and systematically fail to carry out statutory requirements such as filing accounts and it takes gargantuan efforts to then convince the wider world that all is fine and dandy
S98 report – Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited
Saint Vincent High Court Listings – October 2014
All,
Completions
In the last two weeks Harlequin Property have invited investors to give them more money for completions.
The current court activity against the land holding company at Buccament Bay (Harlequin Property (SVG) Limited) and the former UK company which procured earlier completion monies (Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited – now Administrative Services Overseas Limited “ASOL”) was subject to a winding up petition hearing on the 7th November 2014.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/court-lists/list-companies-winding-up – see case 120.
Although “ASOL” was placed into voluntary liquidation on the 20th October 2014, the writ which was brought by HMRC related to circa £150,000.00 of unpaid PAYE / NIC. The narrative in the Statement of Affairs fails to mention the HMRC petition. This is the reason ASOL was placed into voluntary liquidation.
Oddly, the UK Harlequin operation had no bank account. The Statement of Affairs confirms this to be the case. How you run a company without a bank account we do not know.
The company appears to have been funded by Harlequin Developments (SVG) Ltd (which is revealed on the Statement of Affairs) and utilised the bank account of Harlequin Hotels & Resorts Limited (a Cayman Island company).
It is easy to see why investors would be confused as to who they were dealing with. Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited and Harlequin Hotels & Resorts Limited have fundamentally the same name. The Cayman Island company has a bank account at Barclays, Wickford, Essex. The structure is very opaque and hard for an investor to understand who they are actually dealing with.
Just be very careful when parting with money at this stage for a completion is a significantly risky proposition.
I couldn’t resist …
It would appear the guy dealing with winding up ‘AS OL’, was solicitor who has been struck off, now working as an IP.
Click to access 8818-2003%20-%20Whipps%20AJ.pdf
Only Dave Ames could find a law firm ELS with a colorful background.
http://citywire.co.uk/new-model-adviser/news/lawyer-embroiled-in-stirling-mortimer-scandal-to-face-court/a385288
Remember Caldora? The company that was going to come up with finance, ran by some con man?
http://www.expatmoneywatch.com/caldora-asset-management-scam-warning/
I would imagine many agents are worried about this HMRC investigation into their ‘colleagues’.
Most of them are non too bright and couldn’t believe what they were earning.
Most, have spent it, probably none can afford the crippling ramifications of a full Harlequin tax investigation.
Especially if Mr. Ames has given all the payment information….. That’s pretty nasty if true.
@ The Taxman November 11, 2014 at 2:50 pm
When referring to the companies within the Harlequin web it’s best to use the company registration number to avoid confusion, especially when the names are so similar or have been constantly changed..
Dave Ames.Its nice to see there are naw TWO completions.where are the photographs of the TWO happy investors standing outside their cabanas with their title deeds in there hands.This is a great photo opportunity for you to show the other 5,998 investors you were telling the truth all along.By the way haw is your trust going? Haw many members do you have?
I feel so angry at the Ames family.
Looks like Ames and the malevolent agents are due for a dust up with HMRC. Painful.
HM – Her Majesty, as in Dave it’s not the GV’s money.but
Her Majesty’s – the clue in in the title.
Meanwhile Bob BS’s repeating himself over on TA. Must be the wine.
And the latest review (from a travel agent) is an absolute cracker if taken out of context.
Is Dave Ames going to sue HMRC for defamation and taking things out of context?
Maybe the GV should ask his mates at Tailormade ( in liquidation) for a living will; after all he is a dead man walking!!
Bob, keep calm t was meant at a figure of speech and not to be taken out of context.
I don’t think HHR (UK) Ltd operating with out a bank account should be taken out of context.
Maybe not paying HMRC was due to a banking error, because they didn’t have a bank?
This should not be taken out of context, many businesses operate without a bank account; its just that we can’t find one yet…..
Agents wont know whats hit them when they get a tax investigation. I’ve had one and it’s bloody awful – even when you have nothing to hide. You feel guilty.
Can you imagine the chuckle brother Stenning completing a tax return!!!!
One huge problem they all have.
Now that the payments have been handed over, its just a check against what what declared on the tax return , is it not?
Just recieved this from Harlequin.
11th November 2014
Dear XXXXXXX,
We would like to clarify the points you have raised in your email of this afternoon.
Administrative Overseas Resorts Ltd. formerly Harlequin Hotels and Resorts (UK) Ltd entered into a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation on the 20th of October. Mr. Alan J Clark was appointed as the liquidator, as such the company is in formal liquidation.
Yesterday in the Courts in London HMRC petitioned the court for the winding up of ASOL. As you can see, the company is already in Liquidation, the petition by HMRC was therefore unnecessary and a waste of Tax payers funds.
All we can say on the matter is that it is our understanding that due to a clerical error on the part of HMRC, they were apparently unaware of the Creditors Voluntary Liquidation. Our inhouse legal team is now in communication with HMRC and are dealing with the matter.
We would like to point out that the liquidation of ASOL has no impact on your investment. Dave Ames has reiterated this point on a number of occasions, the Liquidation of ASOL was intentional as was made clear by Dave Ames in his recent update, and a part of the restructuring process we are undertaking, which is intended to protect your investment.
The latest updates from RL and the continued speculation on anonymous forums are all inaccurate. We are all most confidant in the direction the Harlequin Group is taking under the guidance and leadership of Dave Ames.
Dave Ames will be updating investors in early 2015 with news on the financing negotiations which are ongoing.
The team at Harlequin is now vetting a number of these financiers to ensure that the chosen financier meets the stringent requirements Dave Ames has set out for his investors. Dave Ames has requested that the negotiations with the financiers remain confidential, this is because of the very competitive nature of the finance business, and the massive interest generated by the Harlequin business model.
Dave Ames by keeping the negotiations confidential will ensure the most competitive deal on finance and end mortgages for investors.
To put this into perspective, Dave Ames and Harlequin have in excess of £1 Billion of investors seeking ready to commence business with the right mortgage providers, netting the mortgage providers between £ 50-75 million per annum in interest payments.
Hence the massive interest from financiers in the Harlequin Business Model.
There are no other property developers in the Caribbean in such an enviable position.
We hope this addresses those questions you raised today.
Dave Ames will be hosting another round of his very successful conference calls in the next few weeks, and we invite you to take part, where you will find that all your questions will be comprehensively answered by Dave and his team.
Kind regards,
Harlequin Hotels and Resorts Ltd (Cayman Islands).
Paddy your post would make much more sense and be more believable if you could actually get the company names right.
Now be a good boy and pay Harlequin what you owe them so they can get the building work back underway.
Anonymous @ 7.37pm – too funny!
I do hope that’s been sent to the authorities concerned (which of course now includes HMRC just to be clear).
HMRC are going to find this situation farcical. People phoning/emailing them with bits of useless information every 5 minutes. I can just imagine the tax man on the phone, with his hand over the mouthpiece, raising his eyes and saying to a colleague, “it’s another harlequin nutter on the phone trying to tell us something we already know” His colleague replying, “is it an international call or is it that nutter Walton again? Is he declaring his fee from RL?”
“Hence the massive interest from financiers in the Harlequin Business Model.
There are no other property developers in the Caribbean in such an enviable position.”
FFS, Who writes this stuff??!!
And still you get the numbskulls defending them like the anonymous idiot at 8:10pm.
One thing Ames and his cohorts have in common is absolutely no sense of embarrassment or perception that the rest of the world his laughing at them (well, those who aren’t wishing them painful, tortuous deaths anyway).
@ Sportingman not BS, giving money back, ok, let’s start with Nicola, Dan, Carol and maybe Dave can pay back Matts share, oh ya Dave maybe throw in the million quid also that Matt nicked in commissions from the firesale of the properties in the Hideaway way back in 2007/2008.
This should go along way to building 5900 units.
Remember Matts commissions Dave, the commissions which caused you and Matt to fall out so acrimoniously, the commissions that Matt paid zero tax on.
Although it’s a bit late now really isn’t it Dave, it is out of your hands now Dave.
I doubt that Jim and Adela will put their careers on the ground for version 6 of the accounts, given that I have copies of 1-5.
Just out of interest how many weeks did you get from HMRC to produce all of the audited accounts? 2-3 ?
Accounts 1-5 dutifully passed onto HMRC I might add, by my good self. 😉☺️😉😉😉😉
@ Anonymous 8.10. HMRC are most interested in any financial information relating to Harlequin. And I think we should all help them no matter how relevant we think the information might be.
Love to see what Manderfield, Stennings, Dalligan, Taylor, Dan, Matt, Dave et al ……………….. all have stated on their tax returns? Any ideas, all those units in lieu of commissions attract tax, were they declared?
Naughty boy Dave, winding up a UK company in the knowledge that HMRC were on your case…….. very naughty.
It’s curtains folks, now that HM Government are involved.
Some interesting links for investors.
http: //www.hmrc.gov.uk/tax-evasion/hotline. htm
http ://www.hmrc.gov. uk/avoidance/
Sportingman not BS, is the petition by HMRC something that Dave needs to worry about ?
Why do you always blame the builder for the anti Harlequin posts ?
Why do you state that the SFO would find that information from the builder is toxic. ?
How much did Dave pay the Davies clients ? Did the builder assist in the Davies case ?
I suppose the most important question, Do you believe that Dave is innocent of all or any of the allegations being made against him ?
Just wonder if you could answer any of the questions ?
I see Harlequin have the top brains of the organisation working on deflecting topics away from fraud, tax evasion, deception and misrepresentation. They skilfully, adeptly and seamlessly draw attention back to various ex colleagues of Ames and their homophobic traits.
HMRC will have been told to get back the money. Matt should never have tried to rope in one of the family 😉
Boring Paddy. You know you can’t prove anything. If you could you’d have won in Ireland. You didn’t and were found guilty of fraud, you and your special friend Mac Donald.
Dave has done nothing wrong. If you and Mac Donald hadn’t ripped him off all the projects would be much further along. You know he’s had to fight you and your lying accountants to get justice for the investors so stop trying to deflect blame from yourself you thieving scum.
Yes what happened the Part 2 of the expose that Paddy/Ralph/Uncle Tom (no disrespect meant to BFP on that one) etc etc were going to post on here? Are the trains running late now? Isn’t it strange how a post on here with “new revealing information” appears in a RL email a few hours later. Keep digging RL the holes getting bigger.
And the Laura Miller link, not good enough, only EXTRACTS from the conference call. Means nothing at all. The “transcript of the call was taken by a different investor who did not want to be named” Why not her name was at the bottom of the transcript lol
I wonder if Walton has a bank account or is paid in kind?
That name was someone who works for Crazier. Thats why it was a drop hand deal.
@Pimps R us.
Bonk account, surly ?
@ Sportingman not BS, so it’s not true about RL. There was no SRA probe, RL have been right all along.
So when is the SFO investigation into Harlequin going to cease, you appear to suggest that the complainants might be in a minority and that they are toxic.
If the Builder, Walton and Newman are all toxic why in the name of God is the SFO still pursuing the matter. ?
Being Gay is no longer a crime, I take it your either homophobic or jealous of Mr. MacDonald and his relationship with others either straight, bi or gay.
Never noticed the caveat in the Harlequin contracts where gay couples were precluded from investing in Harlequin.
Is it your assertion that the Builder and Mr. MacDonald are both gay, that they are in a relationship, and that this gay relationship led to the downfall of Harlequin.
It’s the same as stating that Simon Taylor’s visits to brothels in the Caribbean resulted in Harlequin’s downfall, or the visits by Dave and Royd to massage parlours in the Caribbean resulted in the failure of Harlequin.
You could also state that having others hold property in trust for you led to the failure of Harlequin.
So many reasons why you could claim that Harlequin failed.
How he gets paid only papers over the cracks!
The SFO might still be pursuing the matter, but Paddy, Newman, and MacDonald can hardly be trotted out as witnesses for the prosecution can they. Not with their track records of deceit and lies.
@Anonymous
November 11, 2014 at 9:46 pm
You’re on a roll now.
Bob, please take note of the correct use of you’re not your 😉
Good night Bobbykins
@Anonymous
November 11, 2014 at 9:50 pm
Strike that comment out, hearsay.
All posters must ignore that!
Anon at 9:45 pm or Paddy as we all know. Why don’t you produce the proof you keep on promising? We know why it’s because you can’t. It’s all crap.
No one blames you for loving a bit of man meat. We do blame you for being a thieving scum who conspires with a bent accountant. Even your countryman the judge said you were both conspiring against Dave. Your various posts on here have done nothing to prove you weren’t. Are you going to publish the transcripts? You promised to do so. You won’t because then we’d all see the lies you told the court for what they are. So many promises to publish this and publish that and nothing ever gets done. Why is that Paddy? Why? Something to hide?
Did the SFO ever get you to sign a witness statement? We all know they won’t touch you because you’re toxic. Can you imagine what a defence lawyer would make of someone found guilty of fraud accusing an innocent businessman of fraud? They’d laugh you all the way out of court!!!
Now run along there’s a good boy.
Anon 9:45 – Wouldn’t it make sense for someone who was going
to open a 5-star Spa to visit local massage parlors. Maybe they were
“recruiting” future masseuses.
Dear Sportingman not BS. I’m not the builder, but I will raise a few points that have been raised in the past.
You have this evening raised some very interesting points indeed.
You state that Dave Ames has done nothing wrong, you state that if the builder and Mac Donald had not ripped Dave off the projects would be much further forward.
I know you guys don’t like to deal in %’s. But deal in them we must.
The Irish court awarded some 0.22% of deposits taken, to Harlequin, this would in real terms have built approx 6 additional units out of 6,000 sold. So realistically we can’t really call this being much further forward.
Let’s not forget the 5 star build rate in the Caribbean is $ 200 USD per Sq ft.
Harlequin alledge that the builder took $13 Million Dollars. This is 1.85% of deposits taken, again this is equivalent to 65 units out of 6000 sold. Based on Caribbean build rates.
Again not really much further forward.
If we take the above in the context of commissions paid, if these commissions had not been paid on the deposits then Dave would have been able to construct a further 1750 units,
With the deposits paid Dave would have been able to build some 3000 units on land paid for by Dave. This would have brought Dave in another £ 400 million. Allowing him to build a further 3100 units.
With completions on this last 3100 units Dave would have netted £ 400 million, allowing Comission payments at this stage of £220 Million. Leaving Dave with £ 180 million. Granted much of this £ 180 million would have had to be spent on the infrastructure of the projects, the back of house, restaraunts etc.
The builder was paid $ 52 million dollars, enough to build 260 units, or 200 units with infrastructure.
According to Harlequin’s own witnesses, 220 units were on average 70% complete, in essence 154 completed units, in addition restaraunts beaches etc were at various stages of construction. We all remember Dave’s immortal words about the Marina.
But notwithstanding all the above, after deducting the payment of $ 52 million $ £ 32 million made to the builder and the £220 million paid in commissions, Dave should have had £188 Million left to construct units with, or as you clearly pointed out, money to bring the projects much further forward.
Indeed the balance of construction funds £ 188 million or USD $ 300 million after paying the builder should have allowed Dave Ames to build a further 1500 units. So why were they not built and what happened this money.
This is what is of interest to investors.
Sportingman not BS, I’d be very interested in your views on the above.
Heh Sportingman not BS, NDA’s don’t prevent anyone from reporting certain strange transactions to the SFO, do they? I know that Dave and Carol would consider such an action to be morally reprehensible, but I for one could not give a damn about morals when it comes to Dave and Carol,
So I suggest you run along there now my friend. 😉😉😉
Paddy you do protest too much. You ignore the distraction to the management team for dealing with the mess you made, the costs of going after you and getting justice for the investors, the costs of putting right he shit you left and so on. The only person who has ever dealt in percentages is you.
Where is all the “evidence” you said you’d publish?
It doesn’t exist does it.
Every time you’re asked to produce what you promise you fail to do so just like you didn’t actually build anything, just stole money from the investors. That’s what the judge said. You committed fraud. You are a thief.
Go on put up the transcripts and all the other stuff you keep on promising. Go on. Go on. Or shut up you thief.
Sportingman not BS, but Carol perhaps, certainly not Dave, Dan maybe, most certainly someone in the inner circle, but yes most definetly not BS.
Anyhow, how would you know what witnesses the SFO intend on calling unless of course you are in the inner circle.
Secondly I’d be more concerned about what factual information was passed onto to the SFO rather than by whom.
The fact that the SFO are still pursuing the matter in itself speaks volumes. Whether the Builder or those connected with him are witnesses of fact or otherwise, is really immaterial to the SFO, it’s the information that they may have provided, ie emails, documents, other leads, etc that could prove invaluable in successfully prosecuting a criminal case.
The other weaknesses or cracks which could appear are potential inconsistencies between the Irish case and subsequent unconnected litigation in the UK and Caribbean.
The fact that much of the ongoing litigation is subject to an NDA, does not preclude the SFO from obtaining the information by way of production orders. The SFO can easily circumvent any NDA by the use of such orders.
If the builder or any of those connected with him were in any way involved in any other litigation, they would be best placed to identify any inconsistencies,
This would save all involved a huge amount of time and energy.
Of course if this were to have happened, Dave and Carol could use the excuse that there was a conspiracy a foot to bring them down.
And then we have the sensationalisation of the Irish case which as has been pointed out many times here, involved a mere 0.2 % of deposits taken.
This was also a Civil not a criminal case and which is the subject of an appeal.
To give some context to this, a recent trial in a London criminal court convicted a “FRAUDSTER” Matthew Ames and sentenced him to 40 months in Prison. Matthew Ames did not appeal the judgment against him nor the severity of the sentence. Matthew Ames was also disqualified as a director for 13 years plus, and did not appeal this ban either. Matthew Ames is also the subject of PROCEEDS OF CRIME case, and recently attempted to have himself declared bankrupt in the UK. The same Matthew Ames helped himself to a Hefty Commission 0.25% of £440 Million on the sale of a number of properties in the Dominican Republic at a Resort known as the Hideaway, over a three day period in 2007, and as a result fell out with his father, yet Carol and Dave see fit not to sensationalise this, even though Matthew Ames a former employee of Harlequin, a convicted CRIMINAL and BANKRUPT took more in three days from Harlequin investors then that, that was judged against the builder over a period of two years and which is the subject of an appeal in a Civil Court.
Yet Harlequin have not seen fit to sensationalise the horrid case of Matthew Ames, nor indeed make reference to his fall from grace within the Ames family.
Sportingman not BS. You are also fully aware that an Appeal has been lodged in the Irish case, and that Appeals can only be lodged if there are valid grounds.
Sportingman not BS, I’m not too sure about the Builder lying in the Irish court, what you are saying is the Judge believed Ames over the builder and that is apparently true.
But why have you made no reference to the inconsistencies between the Irish case and subsequent UK and Caribbean cases, inconsistencies that emenated not only from Carol and Dave, but their legal representatives ? I call them inconsistencies, others call them lies. Or is this the subject of an NDA. ?
Sportingman not BS, on an unconnected note, I know a guy being investigated by the SFO, who has a number of overseas properties but purchased in someone else’s name, do you think I should report this fact to the SFO? I ask given your apparent defence of all those who are innocent.
A simple question to Harlequin investors —– don’t your local MPs
give crap……………
Sportingman not BS @ 11.00 pm.
The Ames family through Harlequin took in £ 200 million + of investors deposits after the builder had left the “scene of the crime” on June 11th 2010. The resort opened amid fanfare and celebration on the 11th of August 2010.
Your witnesses, and I call them your witnesses, (given your membership of Harlequin’s inner circle,) described in vivid detail the lengths they went towards rectifying all the problems left by the builder in a two month period from the 11th of June 2010 to the 11th of August 2010, an heroic effort you must admit.
You then opened your resort a full 5.5 weeks after it was initially due to be opened, that being the 1st of July 2010, I use the term initially loosely as this date was one of many announced by Harlequin.
Between August 2010 and October 2010 the construction work force of some 800 at Buccament Bay was reduced by almost 70%, with a further 20% let go between October 2010 and January 2011.
Furthermore you did not keep to your contractual agreements with your workers which culminated in a number of workers taking legal action against you through the St. Vincent labor court, an action that you and Harlequin lost, yet to date you and Harlequin have refused to pay out on the judgment. I don’t understand therefore why Dave States that you Harlequin never lost a case, but that’s a story for another day.
Not withstanding all the above you and Harlequin were able to describe to the Irish Court how you and Harlequin spent an additional $ 48 million on construction at Buccament Bay between June 2010 and March 2013. This $ 48 million is an important figure given that you and Harlequin gave quite a bit of evidence on this expenditure.
You also through your expert witness demonstrated that previous to ICE Group Ridgeview construction were paid some $ 3 million dollars for the work they undertook at Buccament Bay.
I can see eye browse rising here, but that was your and Harlequin’s expert witness that produced the figures.
Yet no construction of any real significance was undertaken on any of the other 5 resorts during the period post dating June 2010. Yes we had the glossy updates, the photo shoots, the promise that finance was around the corner, but between June 2010 and now you and Harlequin managed to construct the shell of three units at Merricks and demolish 70% of an existing hotel in Barbados. And paint a motel in St. Lucia.
You talk about the distraction caused to the management team by the builder, it did not seem to distract them too much, why ? Well between late 2010 and 2011 the “Management Team” managed to launch an additional 4 resorts to augment the existing 6 being actively promoted to investors by you and Harlequin.
Two in Barbados, (one never got off the ground, the other an existing hotel which you and Harlequin managed to demolish 75% of), a motel in St. Lucia and Jamaica ( again which never materialised apart from being sold to investors).
So see the “Management Team” could not have been distracted that greatly, furthermore between June 2010 and Jan 2013 the “Management Team were able to extract a further £ 200 million + from investors.
The full claim against ICE Group and the builder was for $ 13 million USD, that is the claim which you and Harlequin filed, no more no less, this figure has not been altered or amended in over four years.
I know you dislike % but they are hugely relevant, you and Harlequin are claiming 1.85% USD $ 13 million of the total deposits taken, from the builder, this is your and Harlequin’s claim as assessed by your experts.
And you claim that this amount is the cause of most if not all of Harlequin’s problems. The Irish court heard that a total of USD $ 103 million was spent on construction of Buccament Bay to date.
I will not revert to % here,
A total of some USD $ 700 million was taken by you and Harlequin in deposits.
Amazingly some $ 350 million of this was paid out in commissions.
Of the remaining balance that being USD $ 350 million , USD $ 103 Million was spent on the construction of Buccament Bay.
The question everyone asks is what happened the remaining quarter of a billion U.S. dollars. USD $ 250 million.
Ok USD about $ 50 million was paid for land. So where is the $ 200 million?
Your expert witnesses through their evidence in Ireland quite clearly demonstrated that you could have built an additional 1200 + Five Star Units for USD $ 200 million,
Yet all you managed was the now rotting carcass of three units in Merricks Barbados, a hoarding in the Dominican Republic, a 75% demolished hotel on the South Coast of Barbados, ( with millions in debt left in that country), and a refurbished 3 star 75 bed motel in St. Lucia.
So Sportingman not BS and Harlequin, can you explain to investors where their USD $ 200 million of money, investor money that was supposedly sent from the UK for the purpose of constructing 5 Star investors units has gone, or what this has been spent on?
You can talk adnausium about the builder, the builder this the builder that, but amazingly you and Harlequin cannot account for why the USD $ 200 million referred to above did not produce an additional 1200 + 5 Star units as your expert witnesses stated was achievable.
For over 4 years now you and Harlequin have attempted to lay the blame for Harlequin’s and your abject failures squarely at the door of the builder and others.
You and Harlequin’s complete infatuation with the builder and his associates has nothing to do with justice for investors but is soley an attack on those you, Sportingman not BS and Harlequin blame for the drying up of the personal cash cow that was Harlequin. You and Harlequin are enraged by the fact that very possibly the builder and his associates reported you and Harlequin to the authorities.
And no I’m not the Builder.
Mr. Sportingman not BS? you say Mr. Ames has done nothing wrong so why are the SFO still investigating him? And can you answer the question about the two hundred million dollars. ?
Da bilder sure get under da skin of Aims.
Fyah de a mus mus tail, him tink a cool breeze.
Sportingman not BS, ok I know your angry at the builder so present feelings acknowledged, but I wonder, should the builder win his appeal would you be willing to acknowledge you were wrong about him?
A simple yes or no would suffice.
Thank you.
Sportingman not BS Sake a mout fish get ketch my friend.
Heh Sportingmon not BS 11.00 pm why da fuck da bilder give you da info. He better given da polic da info. Smoke da weed mon and chill. ”Twas good while it lasted, chill brother, what will be will be. We knows its over at Buccama. Even da Ralph knows its over. So chill brother chill and smoke da weed.
@ Sportingman not BS Nov 11, 11pm
In addition to the award made by the Irish Court you claim three additional costs that caused a loss to Harlequin. In summary these are:
1. The legal costs and management time spent in bringing the case
2. The cost of completing work that should have been done
3. The cost of rectifying work that had been done badly
That the cost of 1 exceeded the award demonstrates a poor commercial judgement and any properly functioning company would have taken a view that the likely award would not be significant enough to justify the cost in bringing the case.
The costs of 2 and 3 demonstrate a failure to put in place a decent QS early enough in the project to properly sign off stage payments made to the builder. Again this is evidence of a chaotic and inexperienced developer not having a clue or not caring about investor funds. There wasn’t even a written contract to regulate the builder. And incidentally I don’t care who advised Harlequin not to have a written contract. It is such ridiculous advice that a complete business cretin would have ingnored it even if the archangel Gabriel himself had given the advice.
So it all comes back to a company that failed in its most basic obligations of trust and care of other people’s money. This even assumes no wrong doing but just crass incompetence
Jesus who has rattled Paddys cage?
A question after reading the long, but informative posts.
How much money, if any has been stashed away.
Assuming some has, it will be found. That’s pretty difficult to carry around in cash.
@ Anon 7.35 am, this had nothing to do with sound commercial sense, it was a gravy train for Ames and Co. that was brought to a shuddering halt by the builder and his compadres. Justice for Investors? No. This was purely the action and vindictiveness of a stupid man and his wife and it seems it’s about to bite that stupid man Ames squarely in his ass.
The whole thing is collapsing, my agent who happens to be a good friend is in abject terror at the thought of a tax inspection.
He paid none and closed his company down before he needed to file any accounts.
@ Anonymous 08.15.
I think the only cage rattled is the proverbial one in Harlequin, they are probably preparing for the real thing. Sportingman not BS has gone very quiet. Probably not allowed use the Internet at work.
I hope the tax man goes after Ames and all the agents. I am thrilled they are terrified.
What about the was £40 m il or £50 million totally unaccounted for. Anyone have any idea where that is?
That mon ami, will be the job of HMRC and they may even appoint a Government insolvency practitioner.
Imagine HMRC and a nasty IP on your case 😉
A question to the very informative poster.
Why with all this information you don’t get the highest office in the Government involved?
@ Gottcha, if it was me, I’d get a stranger to invest in overseas property so it wasn’t in my name. That’s what Id do to hide the money but that’s just me.
What if, I’d be most surprised what with all that’s going on now, if the poster hadn’t given his information to some really important people.
@ Anonymous. Well they’ve fund loads but still a big hole. Maybe HMRC will dog a bit better. Is the SFO still on the case?
Me too, I’d find someone who was willing to say they owned property, that I paid for, pay them a few quid to do so, HMRC or SFO would never find it 😉😉😉. I’d call it my little nest egg. 😉😉😉
There is a hole alright, Somewhere between 60-100 million dollars was probably used to fund the interest payments to investors. But that still leaves between 100-140 million unaccounted for, though I doubt many investors would have invested knowing that over 10% of the money was funding other investors interest. Couple this with the 50% commissions, does not leave much left to build.
At the risk of repeating myself, I don’t think there is any “missing” cash as such. See https://barbadosfreepress.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/secret-harlequin-resort-legal-documents-found-on-london-train-here-they-are/#comment-1710246
Not what the audit says.
None of the figures produced by Harlequin to date either by way of the figures produced by RL or the so called forensic “Audit” carried out by allegedly by Jim Baker will hold much weight.
Jim Baker in his forensic ” Audit” relied in the most part on figures produced by Harlequin themselves. And Ames has himself stated that the RL due diligence is flawed, however he has to date not provided any evidence to back up his assertion.
To date no “Audited” accounts have been produced or filed for the Caribbean companies, and in the absence of such accounts, all other financial information produced will not be worth the paper it’s written on, most especially where HMRC are concerned.
We must not underestimate the seriousness of HMRC becoming involved, the ramifications of this are enormous, and not just for agents, the Ames family or Harlequin. HMRC could look at the business model and deem it to be an Unregulated Collective Investment Scheme, UCIS, and the ramifications for SIPP investors could be dire indeed. Each SIPP investor could face a tax bill of 50% of their investment even though they have recieved nothing from Ames.
The law might be an ass in this respect, but sadly it is the law.
Ho ho haha, so BequiaP who likes to cut and paste ANY negative link from BFP now has only 55 of his 79 posts regarding BB left on TA. Look like the negative publicity campaign has finally backfired on you. Now be a good boy and stick to the agenda of what TA is about, not your silly agenda of trying to discredit BB and promote Bequia. You, your mate Sally and the muppet who likes to make anonymous telephone calls, have been found out. All have one thing in common, want to promote Bequia over BB. Bet you enjoy sailing also BequiaP? Haha lol.
Good lord what a strange post. It certainly appears that those who support Ames are living in an alternative universe.
“What TA is about” are you for real??? The amount of transparently planted reviews for BB reached such epic levels it was covered in the national press (and involved 100s of them being removed). Also, for years HQ have had posts and threads that said anything negative removed. You really are in your own little world, aren’t you?
No Anonymous 1.13 this is the real world of duplicity by anti BB trolls.
TA is about hotel reviews, not links to the SFO and court cases.
We’re still waiting patiently for the corrections to RL’s DD report. The lawyers in the overseas jurisdictions must be too busy to correct those nasty lies posted by RL, either that, or (and here’s a crazy thought) the DD is a correct representation of the disaster that is the Harlequin empire.
Come on Dave, we haven’t forgotten about it. You can’t just attack RL and say it’s all wrong with out showing why. There are a lot of investors who really wasn’t to see your corrections so we can sleep a little better at night.
Strictly speaking it’s about honest and impartial reviews, but that all seemed to have been considered an acceptable thing to seek to manipulate when it suited (perhaps Sportingman has an opinion on that?). It’s also about general advice for the traveller, and contrary to what has been suggested I think that information directly relating to the management companies and resort owners is profoundly relevant, both in the way that it impacts the maintenance of the resort and the way that it informs the potential for something to go wrong before travelling. We’re I considering going there this is absolutely what I’d want to know so I could make my own decision in receipt of all the information.
It’s over for Ames, now that HMRC have entered the fray. No NDA’s can protect him now.
I think you’re probably right Anon.
I agree with you Sid
@Anonymous 1.04 pm, AKA Sportingman, AKA Bob Storey..
Ha ha ha , lol…of 51 posts on TA by you, only 26 are left after TA cut the obvious crap you post out…Lol. Your percentage of cut postings is higher than BequiaP.
Got your title to your cabana yet? …Thought not.
Before it gets taken down, perleeze go over to TA and have a look at the poop BSBob Storey aka Sportingman is posting.
Even if HP are to believed that the 2nd completion is about to be made, out of 9,000 contracts they will have fulfilled 0.02% (one fifth of one percent) of them and even they must be years late. And this is good news is it?
This one?
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g147379-i1174-k7832304-Buccament_Bay_Resort-St_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.html
From Sportingman BS on TA
Looks like the builder is now connected to BequiaP who must be also conspiring to bring Ames and Harlequin down.
Dave, Bob has unearthed another conspiracy, 😃😃 and has recieved an anonymous phone from someone called Bequia Regatta?? , must be the same anonymous on here,
Dave please get the US court to identify Anonymous, not me the other Anonymous, because Anonymous is calling Bob from Bequia. By the way what did Anonymous say to you ?
Oh and Bob, HMRC will be probing all the companies, not good. Not good at all.
Where is your mate Sportingman not BS today, is he not allowed post on BFP from the Harlequin HQ?
BS latest post on TA.
Sally, I for one am not unsettled by developments in HP. You see just posting links to ad hock headlines is misleading and causes confusion. For instance a link was posted to Harlequin Sales going into administration. This was misconstrued as the sales of holidays going into administration when in reality it was the property sales going into administration. That was proved by a clarification needed on this site. As a visitor to BB have you posted any comments on TA as to the BB hotel? You see Sally there is a suspicion of a concerted effort by people concerted with Bequia to discredit BB. Why is that. You are the editor of a sailing mag, BequiaP by his ID is a Bequia supporter, I have received an anonymous telephone call from someone who sails in the Bequia Easter regatta. If this could be kept to travellers experiences of BB then it would be great. Perhaps people in Bequia see BB as a threat. Who knows.
Ho ho haha, so Sportingman who likes to makeup ANY positive link now has only 14 of his 52 posts regarding BB left on TA. Look like the positive publicity campaign has finally backfired on you. Now be a good boy and stick to the agenda of what TA is about, not your silly agenda of trying to promote BB out of self interest and promote Bequia instead. You, your mate Carol and the muppet who likes to evade tax, have been found out. All have one thing in common, want to promote BB over Everything else. Bet you wish you were sailing over the horizon now? Haha lol.
@Anonymous 4.55 I think you have just swivelled up your own arse. You will probably meet Paddy up there.
Poor attack poodle Bobkins, if he thinks TA is the answer to Harlequins problems he’s dafter that I thought.
If Bobit didn’t post on here, the amount of activity would cease.
Is it only me? That sees the irony of that.
‘We’ all know Harlequin is insolvent, Bobey Blobby won’t have it, so we are keep posting information to enforce our views.
The more Bobinns post the more crap is posted about Harlequin.
So it’s actually Bob who is causing the problem, I love it, I really do.
Poor old blobby Bobit
Oh Mr. HMRC please it’s all BequiaP and Paddys fault, it’s not mine, no not mine, I’m suing the SFO, Essex Police, BequiaP, Ralph Gonsalves, cause he owns Bequia, God for the floods, Wilkins Kennedy cause they got money, the people who own the overseas properties in trust for me, cause everyone knows about it now. My wife, my son, I’m suing everyone. Why cause I can.
@Anonymous 5.04 you obviously have a problem with simple math. 52 posts, 27 still active. Obviously having 6 fingures on each hand is not enough.
Bobit what do you think of this HMRC malarkey, do you think that devil of an Irishman done this?
Or maybe…………… the SFO, Essex police, Freemasons, Fatchett, Crozier, Broughton, Mail on Sunday, Panorama, Walton, CLC, and the 1000s of disgruntled investors are WRONG, but you….. ‘Bob the Brain’ have seen through this…….The GV is going to make a success out of this historic cock up.
Mmmmmmm
Redefining tax returns in the UK.
Ames would have gotten away with it too….if it hadn’t been for them meddling kids!
Poor Paddykins. The thieving scum can’t accept he and his special friend were caught with tehir hands in the till so we get the usual long rambling crap that he hopes deflects from his crimes.
Paddykins you keep on saying you have evidence, that you’ll put it up for us to see. All crap. You’re long on promises and short on delivery. That’s exactly what you did to the investors. You’ve damaged my investment but we all know that Dave has got the finance ready and he will destroy you and your scum friends like Mac Donald, Crazier, Fatty Broughton, Newman and Walton.
End of!
Is that a joke post sportingman?
Mental illness is no joke !!!
Its tragic- Who is sportingman? I think SP-Man just having a bit of a wind up. No one can belief what he says! Especially not him.
Harlequin Property
25 July 2014
The SFO investigation into The Harlequin Group continues. We have had several reports from worried investors who have recently received information from other sources to suggest that our investigation is now closed. This is not the case. Due to the complex nature of our investigations and the fact that several overseas jurisdictions are included within the scope of those investigations, it is inevitable that delays in the process of gathering information and evidence will be and have been encountered. It is not possible to issue any more detailed information at this time. Once we are able to issue a further update we will do so.
Gottcha no, no wind up. Your pathetic attempt at rasta speak is racist. Now run along Paddykins and find all those secret files you keep on promising to show us.
The SFO know they have to keep the investigation live even though they realise it’s going nowhere. They believed Paddy and Newman and now are so deep in that if they stop, Dave will sue them for millions for the damage they’ve done to the business and all our investments.
@SFO HPI why oh why keep regurgitating old old information. Are you that short of something new to post it is all you have got? Come on let’s have a bit of imagination and have a laff at your next effort to keep a tired thread going. Boring as hell.
Sorry anonymous I cannot supply any entertaining material about 6000 investors losing 400 million, perhaps you need to look else where for fun, a dating site, maybe meet up with bob, he is a lonely old man, with little in his life, outside of this forum.
Sportingman not BS, why did HMRC petition to wind up ASOL ? Can you answer that ?
I have been on this forum for a significant amount of time.The present situation is bizarre when you take into account what comments have been made over several months. I must be in fantasy land? What is going on?
Hey Sportyman not the full Bob, if I was Dave Id get a stranger to go buy me some foreign property with all my illicit wonga, keep it away from prying eyes if you get my drift, 😉😉 Then HMRC would never no 😉😉.
But I’m not Dave, I’m smarter then Dave, 😃😃😃
Sportingman not BS, the only person Ames will destroy is himself, now what is your opinion on the latest news about HMRC.
Sportingman not BS, you state the following, ” deflects from his crimes.”
What is a crime SBS ?
Ok, I will tell you.
In ordinary language, the term crime denotes an unlawful act punishable by a state. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes. The most popular view is that crime is a category created by law (i.e. something is a crime if applicable law says that it is).One proposed definition is that a crime, also called an offence or a criminal offence, is an act harmful not only to some individual, but also to the community or the state (a public wrong). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.
While every crime violates the law, not every violation of the law counts as a crime. Breaches of private law (torts and breaches of contract) are not automatically punished by the state, but can be enforced through civil procedure.
Now the Irish case was a Civil Case therefore cannot be called a crime, however there were crimes comitted during the case.
The crime of perjury, how do we know this, that’s easy from all the other litigation,
In its most simple form, perjury is lying under oath. The crime of perjury is the willful swearing, either spoken or in writing, to tell the truth and then giving false information.
Perjury can occur even if the person has not been sworn to tell the truth, such as in a courtroom. Merely signing a document under penalty of perjury that contains false statements can be a crime.
It will soon come to pass whether other crimes have been committed, see below for example.
Signing an income tax return that contains false information is an act of perjury, for example.
In a recent UK case, a guy was in a criminal court, he was there because he was selling carbon credits, he took investors money and told the court that he met a guy called Joe in a rain forest, gave him the investors cash and then Joe disappeared in to the forest, yes with the cash, the guy also claimed that the FCA conspired to destroy his business, he claimed that if they had not interfered all would be well, sounding familiar Sportingman not BS ? Anyway I digress, the guy was found guilty in a Criminal Court by a jury and sentenced to 40 months. He is a criminal Sportingman not BS. He was convicted and sent to prison because he comitted a crime, for what it’s worth, that piece of shit was known as Matthew Ames. Matthew Ames the Criminal. CONVICTED CRIMINAL. He has a record so will and can always be referred to as a CRIMINAL. Whilst he is imprisoned we can also call him a PRISONER or CONVICT. CON for short. When he gets out of PRISON he will be an ex CONVICT or CON for short, but he will forever have the tag CRIMINAL, his kids will know their DAD is a CRIMINAL, because he committed CRIMES, was CAUGHT, and PUNISHED. His parents will know their Son is a CRIMINAL, his new neighbours will no he is a CRIMINAL, the papers have and will refer to him as a CRIMINAL. Because he is a CRIMINAL he will not be able to visit his sister in Australia, because he is a CRIMINAL he can’t go to Canada or the U.S.
Are you now understanding what a CRIMINAL is.
What does the SFO investigate? They investigate suspected CRIMES. Who is the SFO investigating? They are investigating Harlequin. Why ? Because there is a suspicion a CRIME or CRIMES have been comitted. And what happens if their suspicions are correct ? They will prosecute those responsible. And what happens if they get convicted ? They become CRIMINALS as a result of the CRIMES they were CONVICTED of. Even when they are released they will still be ex CONVICTS, or ex CONS, and will always be tagged as CRIMINALS. Their sons and daughter will know they are CRIMINALS, their neighbours will know them as CRIMINALS, their grand kids will know them as CRIMINALS…………..
Get the drift Sportingman not BS.
CRIME
Anon 11:18 I love it…..more please, although you are teaching/preaching
to the brain dead. You go bro !!!
I truly hope Sportingman not BS is not a representative of Harlequin, but I probably am wrong.
From SBS more threats to sue, this time the SFO.
“The SFO know they have to keep the investigation live even though they realise it’s going nowhere. They believed Paddy and Newman and now are so deep in that if they stop, Dave will sue them for millions for the damage they’ve done to the business and all our investments.”
I don’t doubt the fact that Mr. Ames would sue the SFO, I’m surprised he did not sue the BBC, he sues anyone who crosses his path, including his own investors who dare attempt to recover their money.
And on the issue of finance Sportingman not BS, a little reminder of what Dave Ames said in his “Chairman Chat with OPP on December the 6th 2011.
“Q. In the current global financial situation, I understand you are having severe difficulties in raising mortgage funds to complete on Buccament Bay contracts. What are your plans to ensure the availability of the necessary funds?
A. As we all know, the world economy hasn’t been the same since the start of the financial crisis in 2008. Whilst many of the world’s economies shrunk, caution grew and it became much harder to raise funds from the banks. As a result, it became clear to us that we couldn’t raise funding until we had opened Buccament Bay Resort and proven it to be the success we knew it would be. Since the official opening on 1st April of this year, we’ve done just that and now many financial institutions are ready to invest with us. In early 2012 we expect to be able to announce some significant steps forward in terms of funding.”
So in December 2011 Dave had many financial institutions ready to invest. It’s now nearly early 2015 and we have yet to hear an announcement on “Some Significant Steps Forward In Terms Of Funding”
December 2011? That’s three years ago, THREE LONG YEARS.
The only significant steps we have seen in the last three years, are
(1). A banking error prevented payments of the investor interest payments. (Still not rectified).
(2). Announcement by the SERIOUS FRAUD OFFICE of CRIMINAL investigation into HARLEQUIN.
(3). FCA Valuation of Harlequin Investment at £1.00
(4). Administration of HMSSE.
(5). Creditors Voluntary Liquidation of HMSSE.
(6). Creditors Voluntary Liquidation of HHR (UK). ASOL.
(7). Petition by HMRC to Windup ASOL.
(8). Resignation of Simon Terry. Company Solicitor.
(9). Resignation or sacking of Hefin Rees QC, (depends who you believe).
(10). Resignation of Three General Managers of Buccament Bay Resort.
(11). The Resignation of one director of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts,
(12). The Resignation of Michael Slade, Financial Director for Harlequin.
(13). The Resignation of BDO Auditors for HMSSE.
(14). The Resignation / Sacking of a large number of senior management
of Buccament Bay Resort.
(15). The Resignation / Sacking / Layoff of a second director of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts.
(16). The Resignation / Sacking of Procure It Direct.
(17). The Resignation / Sacking of Indigo Dive.
(18). The Resignation / Sacking / Layoff of the Managing Director of Harlequin Developments.
(19). The Resignation / Sacking / Layoff of over two hundred Buccament Bay Resort Staff.
(20).
(20). The Sacking / Layoff of all Harlequin development Staff.
(21). The Sacking / Layoff of close to 1000 Harlequin Development / Harlequin Hotels and Resort Staff.
(22). The Abandonment of the Merricks site.
(23). The Abandonment of the H Hotel site in Barbados.
(24). The failure to start a development in Jamaica ( despite selling units there).
(25). The Abandonment of the planned Garupa Resort in Brazil.
(26). The Abandonment of the planned refurbishment of a hotel in Brazil in time for the World Cup.
(27). The cessation of all works on the Marquis Estate in St. Lucia.
(28). The cessation of all works on the Two Rivers site in the Dominican Republic.
(29). The cessation of all works at the Hideaway in the Dominican Republic.
(30). The cessation of all works at Las Canas in the Dominican Republic.
(31). The failure to pay PAYE and NIS in the UK.
(32). A HMRC probe into tax issues in the UK.
(33). The failure to repay directors loans by Dan Ames.
(34). The failure to repay directors loans by Carol Ames,
(35). The failure to repay shareholders loans by Nicola Kelliher, daughter of Dave and Carol.
(36). The failure to repay shareholders loans by Matt Ames.
(37). The resignation / sacking / layoff of Matt Ames from Buccament Bay Resort.
(38). The Conviction and sentencing of a Shareholder of HMSSE and former employee of Harlequin and the Buccament Bay Resort. Matthew Ames. Interestingly in the sentencing hearing, Matt Ames solicitor stated that Matt Ames would still have a job at Buccament Bay if the judge did not impose a custodial sentence, and that Matt Ames would be in a position to repay £ 10,000 a month from his salary as restitution to his victims, this at a time when the resort had yet to break even. So who would have really being paying this salary? Investors perhaps?
The £ 10,000 a month is equivalent to EC $ 43,000 a month. Or the equivalent to about thirty local staff salaries a month. Was Matt Ames a convicted criminal and fraudster really worth 30 local salaries a month.
(39). The commencement of dozens of court actions against Dave Ames, Carol Ames, Buccament Bay Resort Ltd. Harlequin Hotels and Resorts Ltd, Merricks Resort Ltd, HMSSE in the High Court in St. Vincent by investors.
(40). The obtaining of liens or charges by investors on the various resort companies.
(41). The commencement of legal proceedings against Dave Ames Carol Ames in the UK.
(42). The obtaining of a freezing order over the personal assets of Dave and Carol Ames in the UK. * Terms of the freezing order now the subject of an NDA. Freezing Order possibly remains in place.
(43). The thus far failed attempts by Harlequin and the Ames family to convince all investors to join a trust.
(44). The attempted yet not established Trust to save Harlequin.
(45). The acrimonious split amongst parties negotiating a Trust with Harlequin. (RL).
(46). The commencement of Redress proceedings against Harlequin agents.
(47). The commencement of seeking Redress for Harlequin investors through the FSCS route.
(49). The cessation of all sales by Harlequin.
(50). The failure to date by Harlequin to source mortgage funding for investors.
(51). The Liquidation of a number of Harlequin main agents.
(52). The removal by agents of online material relating to Harlequin.
(53). The closure of the Harlequin Property website.
(54). The disappearance of Trader Vics.
(55). The disappearance of the Liverpool Soccer Academy.
(56). The cessation of works on the Gary Player signature golf course.
(57). The rotting hull of the Black Pearl sailing ship.
The list goes on, and on and on.
But for Sportingman not BS a few positives, well in hindsight not quite so positive, as you will see, the cases or victories claimed by Ames are not as clear cut as Ames would like us to believe.
It is worth noting that the positive documented spin coming from Harlequin revolves around litigation and nothing more, not finance, not recommencing construction just litigation.
(1). The victory in the Irish Court.
(a). This however is the subject of an appeal.
(b). A number of witnesses for the plaintiffs (Harlequin) in that action changed their stories in subsuquent but unrelated litigation in the UK. In one example a witness for the plaintiffs, a practising Solicitor was reported to his governing body for giving conflicting evidence.
(c). Some £ 6 million was expended to recover some £ 1.3 Million.
(d). Mr. Ames sold all the assets belonging to ICE Group in St. Vincent.
However Mr. Ames did not seek the permission of the court to do this.
2. Harlequin managed to have Harlecon shut down and commenced defamation proceedings against the operator of the website and accountants Wilkins Kennedy.
(a). The proceedings never reached court instead they went to arbitration which was covered by an NDA.
(b). RL stated that Wilkins Kennedy who in an agreed statement with Harlequin had denied any knowledge of their involvement in the Website, paid all the legal costs associated with the case.
(c). It appears that Dave Ames was in breach of the Tomlin order by conveying this information to RL.
(d). Dave Ames claimed initially that Mr. Newman had apologised for setting up the website.
(e). It subsequently emerged that Mr. Newman in the defence he submitted had not stated that Dave and Carol had been operating a Ponzi scheme, he had merely suggested that it could have been possibly construed as such. And therefore he apologised to Dave and Carol if they had thought that Mr. Newman had stated as a fact that they were operating a Ponzi scheme.
(f). Mr. Newman however never apologised for setting up or operating the Harlecon website, a fact confirmed by Dave Ames in a Conference call earlier this year. Again Dave Ames deviated from the agreed statement and once again breached the Tomlin Order by referring to the lack of an apology by Mr. Newman.
(3). Mr. Ames commenced legal proceedings against Wilkins Kennedy in a claim exceeding $ 60 million USD.
Wilkins Kennedy have stated that they fully intend to mount an aggressive defence to the claim.
(4). Harlequin and Dave Ames have lodged counter claims against investors pursuing them in the courts in St. Vincent for breach of contract.
(5). Harlequin successfully defended an attempt to have the Caribbean companies wound up by a UK court in an action taken by RL. However the Judge in that case acknowleged that the RL clients had a valid claim but the claim should be brought in St. Vincent and not the UK. RL have stated to the court that they have now served Stat demands on Harlequin.
(a). Oddly enough Harlequin in the court in St. Vincent in a class action suit brought by Mulberry Law suceeded in convincing the Judge there that the UK was the correct forum for investors to bring a case.
(b). Given the now conflicting judgments it will be much easier for the next round of class action suits to succeed in the UK, given that Ames has conceded by virtue of his success in St. Vincent that the UK is the correct forum for such litigation.
(6). Harlequin have taken a case against Automatic in the US for the release of a number of IP addresses of those they claim have defamed them. We assume the intention is for Harlequin to then pursue those individuals for damages in the UK.
(
Great posts Anon. Although it’s sure to incur the wrath of the GV sorry meant Sportingman not BS. Or as was said earlier Spottyman not the Full Bob. Bang on though mate.
Love it Anon, I await to see how well the harlequin shills can address the many issues you raised.
Boring Paddykins. You do go on anon anon. It’s just the same old drivel spewed out again and again. The fact remains that the judge in Ireland said you were guilty.
How long did it take you to type all of that rubbish up? Have you nothing better to do with your life? Of course not because no one will touch you as you are toxic.
Instead of your usual boring dull crap why not post the information you claim to have about RL? Oh dear. You can’t because it doesn’t exist does it?
Meanwhile Dave is pressing on getting completions finalised despite your best efforts to cause problems. Financing is being organised and next year will see the finalization of the restructuring Dave and the team have been working on so hard, even though you and Crazier have been undermining all those efforts. Shame on you!
Avon i have to say your recent posts are top drawer.
Your comments on nov 13th 2.20pm 5a@b are very telling.
I think that the DD produced by RL was the game changer.
If an investor still believes in Harlequin to build more properties,
i might invest on a positive thinking course.
This all very confusing- we have quite detailed information from some here, example the likes of anon, some info of which I know to be true. But are persons saying the Anon is the Irish builder? Then sportingman says I’m having a pathetic attempt at being a Rasta, claims that’s racist and that I’m also some chap called Paddykins. Very odd thing to claim. Its like finding yourself in the pub next to someone relying on care in the community after an early release from a caring institution!
I’m not sure if the bulk of this forum has any value at all. Those who still support Ames and think he is going to rebuild any business to the good of 6,000 “investors” is immensely delusional. So- do any of the people outside the two that we see publicised as may having done so, expect to complete? Have those that sent completion money to any companies “led” by Ames completed? Or have they lost that money?
Anon 11.18 signing an income tax return that contains false information is not perjury.
@Gotcha, I don’t know of anyone that is expecting to complete anytime ever. I know I certainly don’t. It’s been 8 years of the same lies and excuses and nothing tangible ever happens. If HP was a dog it would have been shot long ago.
Nothing would surprise me anymore, I wouldn’t be shocked if Ames himself was not pretending to be ‘Bob’ I suspect his level of literacy would we similar.
I think the long detailed posts are almost someone who worked with Ames, could be the ‘Irish builder’ who cares? All that matters is Ames is held accountable for his actions.
‘End Of’A some would say.
Old news I know, but still lovin it!!!
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/11101423.Vince_Cable_and_victims_of_fraudster_eyeing_his_luxury___700_000_home/
Not even 2 completions out of 9,000 in nearly a decade with over £400m to play with. You’ve got to be really good at f*cking things up to achieve that.
Don’t worry Sid, the financial institutions are lining up to give money to the twice bankrupt man with no accounts, who is being investigated by the police, the SFO, and HMRC, who blew £400 to build 100 hotel rooms, and who’s son is in jail for operating the exact same scheme.
There are so many institutions it seems, that Ames has to carefully vet them to ensure they meet his stringent requirements. That mist be what is taking so long.
It’s not that there aren’t any institutions willing to lend to the GV, it’s because there are so many.
From Anon…what a great list of non accomplishments by GV in recent years.No wonder the Newsletters stopped…there is nothing positive to report at all…nothing.
I think we really are at the tick…tock stage now.
I do not forget the total mess investors were in feb 2013 when legal firms started to help investors who realised the reality.The best part of £400,000,000 had been spent.Not all investors will agree that litigation was required but i was on the other side.
If these legal firms can pull back the sipps(not easy) it will be as close to a miracle that i am going to see..
An investor has previously stated that sometimes life corrects things.
I believe that also.
Sid, are you Red Button girl in disguise? Is it you who is hovering over that red button. Think you would have cramp by now if it was.
No, Bob. I have been in the background and I have a shocker coming Harlequins way.
It just took a little bit longer. Tick tock, tick tock. In for a nasty shock.
Yeah yeah yeah. Don’t tell me you have just been found on a train.
@Anonymous November 13, 2014 at 2:02 pm ( Bobit)
Ames won’t laughing when Ed Milliband brings this up in the House, yes Bob, he has promised to.
Amazing what information a silly little woman can obtain.
You see Bob, it’s a prefect opportunity for Ed. He will rub Mr. Camerons nose in it; as a result Mr. C will have to act 😉
The gauntlet has been thrown down Bob. HMRC, the SFO, The Police and no finance come on Bobbies (Helmet) even the GV can’t get out of this.
-Worriedpurchaser………Its about time someone did something
across the pond.
It’s not a bad idea, name and shame Ames.
Which house would that be? His Wendy house?
You may laugh on the other-side of your face, things are happening, things are happening 😉
Oh dear oh dear, someone really does not understand how the HOC works. This is beyond funny. So how exactly would Red Ed ask a question? Ask a question about a current SFO/police investigation? Hahaha drop it you muppet you are out of your depth.
Got ya really rattled then aye? lovin’ it
Seriously folks, do you really think HMRC are interested in a tiny amount being dealt with by a liquidator. You guys really underestimate Dave and the team. HMRC have far bigger fish to fry.
If the HMRC is anything like the U.S.A. IRS they will hound you to the
ends of the earth for one bloody dollar. I’ve been there and believe me they
will get their ounce of flesh.
Yes I do, Dave and the team are heading for some ‘time’
HMRC are VERY interested in the none payment of tax by agents & Harlequin. VERY.
Especially, how the payments were made 😉 wink ,wink….
And remade, nudge nudge.
This has far reaching ramifications for the like of one Stop, Tailormade ( in liquidation)
All falling into place nicely.
And Angela that’s why the majority of posts by the anti HP trolls are recognised as complete wind ups. Complete bull and wishful thinking with no substance. You have already shown yourselves up with your “understanding” of liquidation and HMRC
If HMRC will hound a plumber or electrician for a few hundred they will hunt Ames and Agents to the enth. This I do know.
Bankruptcy Orders
[aka The GV]
AMES, David Edward, occupation Tradesman, of 19 St. Cleres Crescent, Wickford, Essex. Court—SOUTHEND. Date of Filing Petition—28th April 1998. No. of Matter—165 of 1998. Date of Bankruptcy Order—10th June 1998. Whether Debtor’s or Creditor’s Petition—Creditor’s. Official Receiver—2nd Floor, Tylers House, Tylers Avenue, Southend-on-Sea SS1 2AX.
——
Does anyone know if Carol has a connection to St Albans and Pittmans Fields?
HMRC are shit hot rottweilers
HMRC will deffo go after this as the tax on £400 million is well quite a lot, so oh yes they will be on this like a tramp on a sandwich…. chomp chomp
Lets not forget the agents none payments.
£200,000,000 that’s a few bankrupt agents.;)
@ RETPC 6.08pm
Parliamentary privilege means anyone in the HoC can say pretty much what they like about anything they like with impunity.
Lets just hope that the HoC is not as unworkable as the
US Congress. Talk about intransigency…whoo! We have a
black President and the WASP majority just can’t stand it.
(This is being written by a white raised in the Episcopal church).
I’m really ashamed.
They will it’s been confirmed.
It’s not about race, Obama would still be a fool is he was blue.
The fools are the Insurance/Healthcare stockholders who have seen
there investment rise at 12% plus in the last year. They just don’t
get it. Een Ames didn’t dare promise that..
We are part of the group known as the “committed ones”
In 2013 David Ames had the choice to pay us off.
He chose not too.
That was the case of serious bad judgement.
There has been an enormous amount of nonsense talk on here and on other forums about the demise of Harlequin and the Ames family, and it is utter nonsense.
However the Pro Harlequin supporters on here do nothing to promote the cause of Harlequin, but there is a possibility that those supposed Pro Harlequin supporters are not who they seem.
There is talk of HMRC, Dave Ames proved in a UK court recently that his overseas companies were not controlled from the UK, it must be stated that the overseas companies are wholly seperate and individual entities, HMRC have no jurisdiction over these companies, none.
What has Dave done wrong? Yes in hindsight he should not have offered to pay investors interest payments, he did this to assist investors, but if you needed to get Dave to pay your mortgage repayments then you should not have invested in the first place. No one put a gun to your heads,
Dave designed a business model to allow people to better themselves, it was a partnership, and in every partnership there needs to be a bit of give and take.
For nearly 7 years, Dave dutifully paid the interest payments for investors and not one of you complained, he then hits a cash flow glitch as a result of a down turn in the world economy and fraud on a massive scale, just look at the Wilkins Kennedy case, nearly 70 million Quid. Yet the ambulance chasers got on the band wagon, Fatchett, Crozier, Mulberry Law, etc causing hysteria amongst investors, yet not one of those companies has achieved anything for their clients aside from adverse costs.
You then had the SIPP investors, looking to unlock their pensions, you had Dave plagued by IFA’s begging him to allow SIPP investment in his vision, this was money that investors had tied up in the UK till they retired, DEAD money, yet Fatchett and Co. generated so much hysteria about it that it was shamefull,
Dave worked and works day and night to bring his dream for investors to fruition, Dave is 63, he will work till he drops dead, he is not doing this for self gain, he had enough money to retire 10 years ago, as he said himself after he sold his business he ploughed every penny of his money into this dream he had for investors, he was 56 when he started this journey, he could have retired and had a good life, but instead he wanted to give the ordinary folk a chance at making something of their lives, Dave grew up the hard way, he had it tough, but over the years learned from his mistakes and used what he learned to develop a unique investment opportunity which the authorities for over 6 years had no problems with,
A poster made a comment earlier about the SFO, if the SFO had a case against Dave or Harlequin they would have moved by now, they haven’t.
You may find however that their attention is focused on those unscrupulous IFA’s who peddled the product for self gain,
There has been much talk about the commissions taken by Harlequin, the commissions were demanded by the agents, in what was a very competitive market, Dave had little or no control over this, his own staff were salaried and it is absolute nonsense to think that his staff were also getting comissions, the audited accounts for HMSSE over the years show the salaries and wages paid by Dave and his families UK companies, and show the tax paid. HMRC had no issues with Dave or his family or employees for the past 8 years, but oddly enough just after RL faced a major investigation by the SRA, HMRC petition a winding up order for a company that went through all the proper channels to enter liquidation, I’m not suggesting anything here, but I think most will agree it’s an odd coincidence, I believe the petition failed, and of course it would, the company was already in liquidation.
I know there will be howls from the anti Harlequin mob later, stating that Dave lied etc, but let’s not throw stones in glass houses here, how many of you lied on your mortgage applications, are we all holier then thou when it comes to Dave ? I’m sure we have all told lies from time to time. Dave is a good man, he has his faults too though, he can get carried away in the moment, but remember the dream he was building was for all his investors.
Yet because he was having a bad few months we all turned on him, he tried to establish a trust, he was willing to put all his assets into a trust for investors, but no? Investors wanted more, they wanted to oust him. And why because of unfounded hysteria caused by a very small few, who were jealous of Dave and Carol, a few who thought they could take advantage of the good will of the Ames family, a family hounded by the press now. Who are spending all their time trying to move on with, not their own lives, oh no but the dream for all investors. Yet the investors Dave wants to see their dreams become a reality for, are turning on him like rabid dogs, and that is shameful.
When Dave had units available to complete, investors moaned that Dave promised them mortgages, Dave did promise to do his utmost to try and facilitate anyone looking for a mortgage. Even going as far as to offer up his land as security to banks if they would give his investors mortgages, but hang on, it is really time to cut Dave some slack here, he can only do so much, if investors credit ratings are that poor, there is little or nothing Dave can do about this, he was not the reason or the cause of an investors dismal credit score. How many of you out there could not afford a foreign holiday, yet were buying two, three and sometimes four of Dave’s properties and expecting him to stomp up the interest payments of investors, it is the greed and pack mentality of investors that have Harlequin where it is today. And shame on those investors, shame on you.
Others on here are suggesting that Dave has squirrled away millions, some even being brazen enough as to suggest that Dave bought foreign properties in the names of others to keep the illicit funds from prying eyes, I mean really, what a fanciful idea, the stuff of make believe, Dave’s lawyers would not allow such behaviour, no way. Why do you think Dave has so many 1st rate solicitors and barristers on his team, no not to litigate against others, but to ensure the business is run in a transparent, legal and professional manner. Take Hefin Rees for example, a rising star in his profession, ambitious and bloody good at what he does, there is no way he would nail his colours to Dave’s mast if he did not believe in him. This can easily be proved because even though he and his chambers were owed a substantial amount of money by HMSSE, he continues to give of his time freely to Dave, to allow Dave follow through on the promises he made to investors.
I can see the howls again from the anti Harlequin mob, probably suggesting that HMRC should look into the tax affairs of a QC with an impeccable record. Again shame on you all.
When Matt Ames was convicted, following a witch hunt by a gossip columnist in a backwater rag, the journalist in question bringing so much attention to a fledgling company that as a result of investigations by the authorities it could no longer trade. Matt Ames was naive but he is not bad, Dave even offered to compensate the so called victims, but the offer was rejected, people preferred to see a life and family destroyed rather then allow the individual time to pay his investors back.
Dave and his family are decent generous people, they live a modest and frugal life, Dave spends all his time even though he is 63 travelling in order to make the dream for all his investors a reality, it’s no joke living out of a suitcase when you are a young man, but when you are 63 it’s much more difficult. Dave has sacrificed so much for his investors, including what is most precious to him, time with his wife kids and grand children, yet we do not appreciate the sacrifices that Dave has made. Ok true there are some in his office who have dealt with investors in a horrid manber, but did any of you bring this treatment to Dave’s attention? No I doubt it. Dave would have routed out the Cancer within his company had he been aware how some of his employees may have treated his investors.
An example of this is when Dave fired one of his senior sales staff who had lied to a journalist, Dave was disgusted and outraged at the outlandish claims that his sales guy was making.
And the Panorama fiasco, a bunch of thugs who were hell bent in trying to destroy Dave, after being invited out to St. Vincent by none other then Gareth Fatchett, and when they could find no dirt on Dave they tried a ridiculous stunt with the Prime Minister of St. Vincent. When all this failed the eventually resorted to trying to bribe someone in return for fabricated evidence against Dave. Again disgusting behaviour, truly disgusting. A shameful act by a bunch of thugs paid for by the tax payer. I could go on, but I will finish on this note, investors should hang their heads in shame for all they have put Dave and his family through, and it’s now time to support Dave and his family, you will find that Dave will bring you your dreams. It’s time to stop the rot and support Dave for who he is, not a great visionary, not a guy craving attention, but a simple guy with one dream, and that is to see 6000 very satisfied investors, and a legacy that will demonstrate triumph over adversity, where is that British spirit we are so famed for.
Firstly, Dave did not pay our mortgages, this would not have been possible, since Dave had no money to do this, our investment was used to pay our mortgage, as well as the huge agents commissions.
I do not ever remember seeing in any of the sales copy, that I should not invest if I could not pay the mortgage, in fact , harlequin set up the 100% finance scheme to give investors false security. The 100% finance scheme was a complete farce, and when it failed, Dave Ames then has the front to blame the investors. Dave Ames again & again reassured investors the legitimacy of the 100% finance scheme, and to then turn around and blame investors for taking up his offer, shows what type of person he really is.
a gun was not put to my head, you are correct. I have never had a gun put to my head when making any purchase decision, but does that mean I waiver all my rights to be told the truth ?. It must have become apparant to Dave that his finance plan had failed, combined with his failure to over see the projects, but rather than revealing this truth to new investors, he tried to reassure them he had the resources to complete multiple developments, which is complete lies.
I didn’t realise making purchasing this property in the Caribbean, that I needed to play my part in its success, this is definitely a first. When I make a purchase, I expect the company to provide the service or goods they sold to me.
I am wondering how dave was going to compensate victims of his sons crimes, with what money, with our investments , how can dave compensate victims of his own crimes, while his own investors have lost a total of £400,000,000
Wtf was that all about? Who tf has been at the cooking sherry? FFS, Saint Dave, the GV. Lol, you goto be aving a laugh.
Someone shoot me please now lol, I was going to say even better €&@%#^*++ the GV, so we could all be put out of our misery, but then you’d have Dave and Carol changing the IP hunt from a “deformation” case to “an intent to &&@#%£* ” case.
@ Anonymous 4.28 am
I make only one comment, my contract is 8 years old and not one brick has been laid on my property.Under my contract with Harlequin,my deposit should be returned to me. However D A wil not honour the contract and therefore we have no choice but to take legal action against him.
can matt ames get access to the Internet while in prison ?, or perhaps one of the harlequin shills is posting on his behalf ?.
As investors one must assume the risks, is it fair to let Dave Ames carry all the risk? Your either investors or your not ? I’ve never heard you called anything else, you all invested in a hotel development and no one ever questions the use of the word investor, investors sometimes loose so hence the need for give and take when times get tough.
You don’t go to a Casino hoping that the Casino will refund your money if you loose, why can’t you work with Dave rather then threatening him with litigation and threatening the investments of other investors?
We are all in this with Dave and United we stand a much better chance of success, and maybe by supporting Dave and showing confidence in his leadership we might just achieve something.
Others ripped Dave off and that’s why we are where we are, was NOT Dave’s fault. No way. And it’s time some of us stood up to the ambulance chasers and Wilkins Kennedy and supported Dave, we should be offering Dave witness statements against those he is suing not suing him. For gods sake man. What HAS Dave done to deserve any of this? It’s time to stop being hysterical.
Dave carrys all the risk, actually dave profited, while 6000 investors lost 400 million.
Oh please spare us.
If someone prepares glossy promotional literature making it clear that the investment works in a particular way, people buy it, the investment fails to work as advertised (ie interest payments being made) and then get blamed for believing the marketing material! If the literature said at the start that the developer would make best endeavors to pay the interest then half the people would have walked away at the start.
And as for open and transparent. The most basic level of transparency of a company is to publish audited accounts on time. That this was not done in the Caribbean is not the sign of a business that wants to carry on in an open way.
I could go on but I’m bored now
Read the post of 4.28 am carefully, it’s full of inuendos. Like about Ames placing property investments in other people’s names, or why the hell would a QC work for free, and HMRC mentioned in the same breath, no it’s clever, designed to provoke debate, and inflame the situation whilst at the same time guiding us to other avenues we might not have gone down before, it’s written by someone who knows something. And it certainly ain’t Harlequin.
sounds like to are trying to glorify a ponzi scheme.
or polish a turd?
In the Telegraph today, a GP was jailed for 18 months for not declaring £185,000 income.
Agents be scared, very scared.
Just think, if its true Ames has given HMRC the details of what you have been paid?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11229372/GP-jailed-for-dodging-185000-in-tax-claimed-he-wasnt-good-with-numbers.html
And some muppets said they would not be interested…
Funny thing about the St Dave image. I’ve met him, I’ve talked to him on the phone. He lied and was evasive. That enough for me. Dave’s dodgy.
Ames will shit on anyone.
He has shafted the loyal investors who gave him completion monies.
HMRC have the details of the commissions paid to agents, the £10million paid to Tailormade,etc who in turn will spill the beans on the one man band agents, who in turn will be made bankrupt by HMRC if they can’t pay.
They are absolutely stuffed, and by the way putting assets in the wife’s name or closing companies won’t work – HMRC have the power to reverse such transactions.
If you don’t believe me ask……
The idea that “Dave bought foreign properties in the names of others to keep the illicit funds from prying eyes” being a false accusation, is irrecoverably wrong.
The report from Shipleys clearly sates that HMSSE owns property in Dubai, much of which never realized any return. I’m sure this would have been an important aspect of an “investment” decision if investors had known this was going on. This is excluding the £180k+ that all the Ames family members owe in Director’s loans, Mrs Carol Ames owing the most at £108,000 of investors’ money.
Face it 4:28am,the game’s up. If Ames was honest, he wouldn’t have sold property on land he didn’t own.
Love it when a plan comes together.
@Anonymous
November 14, 2014 at 10:02 am
Correction. Investors never received the income, bet Ames has a Dubia bank account or agents who sent the income to the Caymans maybe….
Risk Warning @Risk_Warning
Claim against 2 largest SIPP operators who hold 2000+ Harlequin contracts sent today. This case will define SIPP responsibility.
Harlequin Investment.
If any investor has not had independent advice on the CURRENT value of this product Regulatory Legal Solicitors are regulated and qualified to help you.
TELEPHONE 01384 889 900
@anonymous 4.28am Are you a comedian?
.
Sounds like “Harlisuccess ” is back!
@deleted, looks like someone has been posting by multiple IDs lol
@Anonymous November 14, 2014 at 7:07 am, I love your casino analogy…
“You don’t go to a Casino hoping that the Casino will refund your money if you loose”
When I ‘invested’ I didn’t realise buying a property from HP was akin to gambling in a casino! Though if I could roll the clock back I would much rather have put my £200k on a spin of a roulette wheel than handed it over to HP as I would have at least had a 50/50 chance of getting something back!
Its all coming together.
No one has posted with more multiple Ids than booby brain Bob.
Why do you keep referring back to someone who has not posted on here for some time? Seems very odd but gives you something to do.
Dave Ames wanted to help the working man, the sort of person that could not invest hundreds of thousands. So he generously helped out thousands of investors.
Fast forward 5 years, the money had run out, and 5900 hotel rooms
still to complete, Dave Went back to those investors, those who could not
afford to raise hundreds of thousands, and asked them to raise hundreds of thousands
Dave was shocked to find the low income working man he was so desperately trying to help, did not have hundreds of thousands of pound lying around,
It’s a real mystery why the harlequin business model did not work. It is those darned working class people fault, where is their spirit, why are they not out toiling in the fields, so Dave Can keep his family in the luxury they came accustomed to.
The whole concept was ill conceived from the start. To assume there is enough demand to fill out god knows how many resorts, all paying top rates, without testing the market was very naive. When I invested I had no idea that there were so many projects planned. If I had I would of run for the hills.
Sid you sit here stating that there is no demand, what studies have you conducted to come to this conclusion, I would like to bring your attention to Atlantis in the Bahamas. A very successful 4 star hotel with 3,400 rooms. Buccament Bay is 5 star plus but with similar rates to Atlantis. I’ve been to both and the service and quality at Buccament Bay far exceeds that of Atlantis, let’s not forget that when Buccament Bay opens its planned Casino, it will need all the accomodation and the rest.
When the international airport finally opens, despite the many delays wholly beyond Dave’s control, we will see daily flights direct from the UK, US and Europe, the new Airport will cater for those not only travelling to St. Vincent but to the Grenadines archipelago, Grenada and St. Lucia. There will also be direct links to Cuba. Central America, South America including Argentina and Brazil. St. Vincent is planned to become a major international Hub, the current PM has plans to also construct a new city Center on the site of the old airport.
The demand for Buccament Bay is already at an all time high, and could be sold out 10 times over if we’re not for the airlift constraints, in the past two years US clients were looking to hold large conferences at the facility sometimes looking to accomadate in excess of 1000 delegates. Once the airport is open demand will hugely outstrip supply.
Can you imagine 1,000 people on the beach?
http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g295368-d554865-i52491937-Odessa_Privoz-Odessa_Odessa_Oblast.html
Well said Anonymous 6.45. BB is part of the SVG jigsaw. The PM will not allow BB to fail. It is part of the master plan.
No offence to SVG, but what else is there to do apart from BB for the Essex based Harlequin type holiday maker?
Tenerife is much easier to get to from anywhere in the UK (direct flights I believe), year round sun, much less rain and flood risk, and plenty of places to get a fry-up if you fancy venturing outside the hotel. Terrific water park too.
extract taken from the video
Technically, we dont actually need to raise any money from our investors or from our point of view, so the great thing is you dont need to worry about the 70% mortgage.
Almost as convincing as the construction progress video from BB where Ames lied about the Maweena, almost complete, behind him, but obviously not filmed.
Obviously not filmed because Ames was lying constwuction of the Maweena hadn’t actually started, unless it was washed away by one of the many subsequent floods. Still, it would have been insured, wouldn’t it Mr. Ames? .
The GV’s dream 2009:
And the Telegraph have it terribly wrong. They quote Harlequin Properties as an example of an unregulated investment going wrong:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/11231758/Fears-mounting-over-investments-that-are-too-good-to-be-true.html
That can’t be right surely. It’s a great success, isn’t it? Best call in the lawyers.
A couple of paragraphs from the Telegraph article above dated 14th November 2014, posted by St. George’s Dragon:
“There are several types of unregulated investment. The first are “unregulated collective investment schemes” or Ucis. Some can be attractive, offering investors exposure to unusual assets that do not perform in line or “correlate” with other investments. These range from investment funds targeting fine wines and classic cars to agricultural crops and carbon credits. Some are legitimate and operated by respected, expert firms. Others are outright scams….
… Two high-profile cases of unregulated investments going wrong include Harlequin Properties, a set of holiday homes in the Caribbean into which 6,000 people invested hundreds of millions of pounds, and the “tax-dodging” film schemes into which celebrities including David Beckham and Anne Robinson funnelled millions.”
Quick Mr. Ames, add The Telegraph to the list of parties trying to force Harlequin into liquidation for their own agenda! They must be jealous of you and your enormous success! Call in the litigation team!
perhaps Dave pressed the multiply key instead of the divide key on his calculator when determining how much money was needed to complete 6000 hotel rooms in the Caribbean.
I’ve been otherwise occupied for a while, but while the usual Punch and Judy show continues it is interesting that it is being noted that HMRC are now taking an active interest. I think that I first predicted this a while back but these things do take a while to get going.
quote-
Anonymous
November 14, 2014 at 6:45 pm
Sid you sit here stating that there is no demand, what studies have you conducted to come to this conclusion, I would like to bring your attention to Atlantis in the Bahamas. A very successful 4 star hotel with 3,400 rooms.
Well yes, that’s true but SVG (even with an international airport), is not the Bahamas. If you don’t understand why that comparison is pointless then you need to do a little more research before commenting. I might ask what studies have been done to come to the conclusion that there is any demand anywhere in the non main land Caribbean market (the Bahamas is not a Caribbean destination) for resorts of this size? If this business model was ever to have any chance of succeeding then indeed there should be easily available research by Harlequin Property into the feasibility of these developments. it would be the first logical step for any developer to take, ascertain the demand and volume of the market – pretty basic stuff.
There is a demand for high level luxury tourism in the region, the fact that Palm Island, Petit St Vincent, Mustique and various hotels/villas on Bequia regularly feature in lists like the Condé Nast Top destinations lists demonstrates this, but noticeably BB has never ever troubled the list compilers and isn’t likely to either. At best it is competing with resort hotels in the likes of the Dominican Republic and Cancun region but they are long established, have a better product and considerable marketing power behind them. It’s all very well trying to develop an entirely new destination, but that does not happen overnight and neither HP nor the government of SVG have the resources to throw at this problem – I mean, did you see the SVG stand at WTM, a tiny presence on the sidelines. So much seems to be predicated on the the survival of BB ( and whichever of the myriad HP companies that controls it) and the government of SVG,and neither are foregone conclusions.
Conman, it wasn’t Ames’ fault though, he doesn’t know how to use a calculator – he’s never done it before. A man in the rainforest told him what button to press.
All Mr. Ames wanted to do was help investors and all they do is blame him for losing all their money. Ungrateful bastards.
Ungrateful, working class greedy bastards. He wanted to help us, and we cannot even show gratitude by raising another 400 million so he can build another 100 hotel rooms.
According to an earlier post, he even offered our money to the victims of his son’s “, rainforest investment”. This is the sort of man Dave is, working tirelessly to remove the worry of how pensioners will spend their pensions, or how parents will pass on their assets to their children.
Just noticed today a bit of “sprucing up” going on at the derelict H Hotel site in Barbadsos..that is,… curbside cleaning…some clean up inside too , looks like…perhaps preparing for a viewing?(Sale)
If the property is in DA name, there is nothing from stopping him selling it.
I wonder how many units were sold to investors in this one?
One could never ascertain how many Harlequin units were sold in each or any resort since Harlequin have never published transparent records or accounts.
Additionally they have admitted to never having kept investor money ring-fenced, or in escrow. In fact, Harlequin took it upon themselves to clarify years after their launch that money taken from investors could be used on development of any resort within the Caribbean (or used on commissions, litigation, marketing, or whatever).
Is that what is meant by an Unregulated Collective Investment Scheme, and do you think this one is a scam?
The H Hotel site is being prepared for the recommencement of work dumbass, Dave Ames has obtained interim finance and is moving ahead with the H Hotel, if you had taken the time or effort to head over to the Merricks site, you will see that, that site too is being prepared for a restart of works. Argo a local Caribbean company has been awarded the restart works.
Anon 10:01 – Did you notice David Campion lurking around the
property?
Common activities prior to the recommencement of a fast-track construction programme … sweeping and a tidying up.
@Anon 10 17 pm I’m not such a dumb ass as you my friend, as I did not give Dave and Carol any of my money for CGI projects.
I dont know that there are any construction companies in Barbados that will touch Merricks or H Hotel..I`m patient, we will see.
“Dave Ames has obtained interim finance” translation – “Wonga Loans” + “Credit Cards”
I’m waiting to buy- not complete!
RE Anonymous 10:17pm. If Ames has new money, it’s going to be a bloodbath. RL will be first in the queue along with HMRC and all the others.
Ames has negotiated a deal to sell the H site in Barbados, I’m not even sure if the deal may have already taken place.
I wonder if the total proceeds of the sale will be returned to investors.
Dave Ames selling the H hotel under the noses of the authorities on both sides of the pond, with no guarantee that any of the money will be returned to investors, we will probably get a letter from ELS to say that the proceeds of the sale were used in the ordinary course of business, well someone still has to pay the Ames, Dalligan, Stenning salaries.
I have another question, given that Shippleys don’t appear to want to pursue the properties in Dubai, why can’t Ames come out and sell them on behalf of investors ? All of them, every property owned by Ames either through companies or through third party “trusts”.
Harlequin quote of (the) today.
“My wife and I are happy
to have completed on our
lovely four-bedroom villa at
Buccament Bay Resort, and
we are excited about the
future prospects of this
beautiful resort and being
part of its future for many
years to come.”
Yup Buccament Bay Resort is gonna sort it all out. Who is “my wife and I” ?
I’m ready to sweepup.
Once the airport opens, everything will be fine. The international carriers are lined up waiting.
They don’t care that after a recent incident involving a machette “the” ambulance couldn’t come to the rescue as no one could find a driver. “the” ambulance being an old second hand Japanese cargo van that can carry one person to the underfunded and struggling hospital. Mayor airlines don’t care about little things like infrastructure. St Vincent will be a hub apparently, serving St Lucia and Grenada – two places the major carriers already service.
It’s nice to see that the pro Harlequin propaganda machine has ditched Booby Bob, but the new writer is just as funny.
Keep it up please, it’s very entertaining.
Forget about the sweeping and tidying up activities (which must be the current phase in the restructuring plan), what about the litigation? Harlequin know that that’s what the investors really care about, how the defamation claims, to protect the Ames family name, are progressing.
The development can stay on the back burner for years to come until those who have continued to point out the Ames family’s numerous and fraudulent, incompetent failures are forced to sign NDAs. It’s a good thing that investors were informed that their deposits could be used for litigation at Harlequin’s discretion, else how on earth would Mr. Ames have funded all the litigation necessary to protect his family name?
We are also, and particularly, interested in the latest proceedings to recover money for completions due from investors; litigation which is necessary since Harlequin is in fact unable to raise the guaranteed mortgages.
How long does Mr. Ames anticipate it will take to force the investors to sell their homes, clear their outstanding mortgages for money already given to Harlequin and pay the remainder owing to Harlequin, including interest payments kindly paid for by Harlequin using investor deposits?
Who would have dreamed it would have come to this! Poor Mr. Ames, he must be terribly stressed.
Why weren’t the couple that completed at BB named in the article? Or the ‘Harlequin spokesperson’ for that matter. It would give the whole thing much more credibility if they had been, but hey, it’s in the St Vincent Searchlight, so it must be true.
Come on Sid, you said it yourself, 2 out of 9000 is great news. Harlequin were right all along, lets cut them some slack and celebrate with them.
The question is, will we live long enough to see the other 8998?
(of the two only two look a bit dubious so it’s either 8998 or 9000 left. Either way, I’m popping the cork on a good box of wine tonight. I’ve aged this one for a whole week, the missus won’t know what hit her. We even broke out the plastic wine goblets and they only come out for special okashuns)
The following is typical of the misinformation being spread by those with an unjustified axe to grind with the Ames family.
“One of the most high profile unregulated investment disasters was the case of the Harlequin Properties, in which thousands of investors lost money”,
This is typical of gutter journalism, on the day that the most popular newspaper in St. Vincent interviews a very satisfied investor we have the Torygraph in the UK wrongly stating that thousands of investors have lost money, NOT TRUE.
WHY? The value of Buccament Bay as valued in 2011 by one of the Caribbeans most respected valuers and an International company to boot was $ 250 million USD.
That was 2011, Dave had added more units since 2011 and a state of the art conference facility, adding some USD $ 50 million to the value of that resort.
Merricks in Barbados was granted full planning permission some time back. Giving a current value of some USD 30 million to that asset. The value of the H Hotel in Barbados is in excess of USD 15 Million given its location on the beach, the value of work done to date, the full planning permission associated with that development and the very valuable concessions negotiated by Dave and his team.
The value of the Hotel Blu in St. Lucia is in excess of USD $ 15 million.
The value of the Marquis Estate is in excess of USD $ 60 million, the Marquis estate comes with full planning and the sole rights to have a Gary Player signature Golf Course and Hotel at that location and sits on, in excess of 600 acres of prime devolpment land.
The very fact that Gary Player is involved with Harlequin through a negotiated exclusivity deal for the Caribbean, means that the only Gary Player golf courses to be built in the Caribbean will be at Harlequin locations.
The value of the resorts in the Dominican Republic again is in excess of USD $ 30 million, the Hideaway has full planning permission and all the locations have massive fiscal incentives, which cannot be negotiated by new entrants into that particular market.
So the current asset value for Dave’s assets is in the Caribbean is in excess of USD $ 450 million.
Income was $ 672 million USD.
Cost of sales as audited and accounted for USD $ 336 Million.
Development Budget expended to date $ 336 Million USD.
Current Development Value $ 450 Million USD.
Hence we have a net gain for investors on the development budget of USD $ 114 Million USD. A 34% increase on the investment and this before the bulk of construction has been undertaken.
The issue with Harlequin is the company is Asset Rich, but cash poor, however given the huge value in the assets there is massive interest by financiers.
The development costs for each unit are circa $ USD 180,000.00 or $ 960 Million USD for 6000 units. Once these are complete investors will owe Dave a further USD 1.560 Billion USD.
Giving Dave a net surplus of $608 Million USD. Now you might see how attractive this is to most financiers.
LOL, you couldn’t make it up!
Oh hang on you just did.
I could be wrong but the name that fits is Ralph Gonsalves.
Errm 4 bedroom. Whats the cabana number with 4 bedrooms. Been there none been built.
@8990 to go. A wine box doesn’t have a cork. Dumbass.
@Anon 2:33am
Now I understand why Harlequin has been such an unmitigated failure.
Apart from pulling figures out of the air ($60m USD for Merricks?), and quoting incorrect numbers (Buccament Bay is not worth $250m USD. That valuation was based on all 3 phases being complete, and did not factor market conditions, revenue etc.), your ideas that Harlequin will be attractive to financiers is pure speculation.
The main problem you have is that the victims who were conned into giving you their savings were both mis-sold (by agents), and are in no position to take on extra debt. Your arrogant claims that “investors will owe GV $1.6bn” is nothing less than fantasy – several small factors including “breach of contract” prevent this from ever happening.
Without wide support of a “trust” (which was a long shot to begin with), the GV can only ever hope to raise capital based on his current “asset” base (I use the term loosely). This looks to be the case with H Hotel, but again, I would not trust anything coming out of the “pro Harlequin” camp, as it’s full of wannabe amateurs.
The proof in the pudding is this my friend – your claims of “$114m USD gains for investors” means that you can therefore raise capital on all of those highly valued assets (float them on the Stock market if necessary), and pay back all the victims. If you are not in a position to do this (and by all accounts…………….. you’re not), then you’ve failed.
The reason why you’ve failed is that you issued contracts with deadlines. Those deadlines have long since passed without being fulfilled, thus meaning that you’ve failed. You cannot claim “investors owe you money”, when you’ve broken every promise you’ve ever made. Quid Pro Quo.
This does not mean that “business model” (again, a term I use loosely) is an unmitigated failure, nor that Harlequin is a Ponzi scheme, but means that you’ve failed in your promises. This is why there is so much resentment & anger against Harlequin. People bought returns, not a hut in Barbados. The main issue Harlequin has is it seems to think people bought property. They did not. They bought returns, which were so fervently promised by the GV.
Please can you enlighten us as to the status of those returns?
Your ramblings are extremely uninformed.
BB a breeding ground for?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2834622/Britons-holidaying-Caribbean-warned-deadly-virus-sweeping-islands-37-return-UK-suffering-agonising-symptoms.html
Dear All,
Please find attached a copy of an article that appeared today in Searchlight, St Vincent’s leading news publication. The newspaper has kindly granted us permission to distribute the article because their website is subscription-only. Buccament Bay Resort investors in particular may be interested in signing up to http://www.searchlight.vc in order to keep up to date with current events in the Resort’s home country.
Completion units available now
There are still a limited number of units available for completion in Buccament Bay Resort and blu, St Lucia. Completion options are available; please contact us for more information.
If you are an existing purchaser and have balancing funds available, please contact Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning so we can begin working towards the realisation of your investment. Their contact details are as follows:
Has Bob Lidil returned?
Anon 2.36, please tell me you were being ironic? That you are a comedic genius!
A few small points of clarification on Anon 2.33’s post.
I posted a full commentary on the Merricks planning position some time ago when I went to the Town & Country Planning office to take a look. The approved planning was for Phase 1 not the whole development; that’s still the position unless they went back with another application which is unlikely as they closed down Barbados not long after.
On the subject of the “very valuable concessions” negotiated on the H hotel, it seems to have escaped Anon 2.33 that the Barbados Government has recently extended the concessions it originally granted to Sandals to all hotels. Strange that Anon missed that. After all, the Harlequin operation is based in the Caribbean, not the UK, as proved in the recent RL winding up case. Don’t they read their local daily papers?
Will pass by the H(orror) hotel later to check on work underway. Want to make sure it’s a clear-up that’s going on, not a ransacking of the site.
I think the Irish builder bred them at BB to cause a problem
There must be a pretty obvious reason why completions are not taking place after several years at Buccament Bay.
Reasons why not ;
Duplication of sales?.
The small amount of land that is registered and owned by Harlequin?
The land that Harlequin does not own?
The access to the site?
I am sure that RL s due diligence would tell the story.
Plus
Flood plain?
Insurance?
Surge tide?
It did and that’s Harlequins problem!
A couple of extra thought on completions :
If you have paid completion money to Harlequin why would they wish to complete,they already have your money?
A completion means paying the investor the 10% rental guarantee, Harlequin would be worse off.
Odd, there were only two 4 bed villas, one was converted into the reception and the other, well that was owned by a guy from near Basildon essex, in fact so too was the one converted into the reception, can’t remember their second names just now, but one guy was called Dave the other Matt.
So I guess it was either of these two who completed, one does wonder against the back drop of the SFO investigation, HMRC probe and warnings from the FCA what they could have been thinking by completing.
I can see a primeminister leaving office before an election and it is not in the UK.
1) Well Con-Matt’s Receiver would like to hear about that.
2) I wonder why Dave’s Receiver didn’t go after him after his first Bankruptcy ..surely The Insolvency Service must have heard that Dave was in the money again.
3) Anyone know if Carol had a connection to Pittmans, St Albans round about 2003? Was it one of her rentals?
4) What about Katharine Manderfield Wooler’s unit at BB?
5) Or Sean Ghent ‘s? He was owed six grand in the HMSEE/ASOL liquidation.
6) Actually didn’t lots of Basildon staff buy/own/got given ‘villas’ at BB? Bet HMRC aka Mr Taxman would like to know about that.
I doubt it Null&Void
Like the GV, that PM has no shame either
@gone to Uncles.
Re 6 Why not referr back to “project orange” crip sheet on ownership. Go on do a bit of research rather than just make something up in order to try and be sensational. “I don’t know anything so I’ll make something up” Just pathetic.
BobBS go and have a cup of tea
you need a break ..
..and sober up
It is a well documented fact that employees of Harlequin and Agents recieved units in lieu of Comission payments.
However I can fully understand why those same individuals now seek to resile themselves from any previous comments they have made regarding the issue of receiving units in lieu of cash comissions, especially given the latest probe by HMRC.
It must also be noted that Harlequin recieved 95% of funds paid by way of stage payments from in excess of 200 initial investors at Buccament Bay.
Are Harlequin now saying that all these units were the subject of resales? It’s possible, but in the absence of any documentory evidence we have no idea.
Well that puts the project orange crib sheets into complete disrepute. You cannot now say whether the information was right or wrong! Go and have a look on the train for the correct set.
Matthew Chapman of the BBC Panorama program discovered Project Orange, he came across invoices presented to Harlequin from Jefferies Solicitors in Southend for services provided to Harlequin in respect of Project Orange. It was previously stated on BFP that Project Orange was the ” Code Word” used by Harlequin to cover up or hide the actual work undertaken.
Jeffries Solicitors, DLA Piper, Simon Terry, Wilkins Kennedy and Dave Ames were all associated with project orange, DLA Piper were concerned that Harlequin could be exposed if the SFO or authorities were to conduct a dawn raid on Harlequin such was the state of the record keeping at the time.
Project Orange was a sweeping under the Carpet of Harlequin problems exercise and would probably have stayed under the carpet had it not been for the liquidation of HMSSE and ASOL.
Problem for Ames is that some on here keep raising the profile of Project Orange, given that invoices exist referring to Project Orange it will not take HMRC / SFO / Essex Police long to assertain from those involved the true purpose behind the operation named Project Orange.
Anonymous 7.14 a post of pure fantasy. WK associated something a bit dodgy? Are you saying that Mathew Chapman was Ralph? Perhaps it’s time to give Mathew Chapman a call?
I doubt if they would ever see a cent from HR (i.e.. Dave) but
they certainly could recover from whoever their ticketing agency was.
Dav Ames and Ralph Gonsalves came out of the same box they are bullies and cowards
@anon 8.03, the most common complaint of people staying at BB? That would be coffee for the coffee machines in the Cabanas. The only innuendos about waste into the sea has come from a poster who also suggested that BB was built on an Indian burial ground! Lol
Anon 8:03 – I will be traveling to St Martin next month and I just checked
out my Allianz trip insurance policy. (The kind you get for about US$40.00
at online ticket purchase). It does cover air-ambulance service up to
$25,000. After that I guess you are on your on.
I have seen a video, taken by residents of the Buccament Bay village, of waste from the resort being pumped in to the river, which then flows right on to the beach of the resort!
A prominent news man in St. Vincent posted a video to his Facebook page of human waste being pumped into an open soak away on resort.
All of the food and cooking waste from The Bay and foul smelling run off from the garbage stored behind the restaurant is pouring straight into the ocean, where the guests and locals bathe.
Want pictures? No problem, they can be posted here too if you need the proof!
Does Buccament Bay have a sewage
treatment facility on or close to the Resort? NO. Sadly that particular phase of the project has not yet been completed. So what happens the raw sewage ? It is supposed to be shipped by tanker to an off loading area. St. Vincent currently does NOT have a tertiary treatment facility and is the subject of a US environment warning.
“Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive”
There is a discharge pipe located behind the Bay Beach Restaraunt that enters the Water at that location, it has been aledged that untreated sewage has been pumped through this pipe on a number of occasions. Buccament Bay has been visited by the chief medical officer on a number of occasions and water samples were taken from the bay. The Chief Medical officer did ask Harlequin to dispose of its sewage at a different location.
There were also two documented emergency discharges of raw sewage into Buccament Bay from the resort which necessitated a visit by the countries chief medical officer on both occasions.
Ancient petroglyphs were found at Buccament Bay, and another World Heritage petroglyph site is located a stones throw away in Layou,
This article might prove interesting,
https:
//naturalbelonger.wordpress.com/2013/04/
It clearly demonstrates concerns as to Harlequins respect for the history and local environment of Buccament Bay.
A mummified body of a mother and baby was discovered during excavations for some buildings at The Buccament Bay Resort and this discovery was recorded by government Archeologists, finding ancient remains is not uncommon in construction, yet in the case of Harlequin, rather then embrace the culture and history behind the finds, the finds are instead denied, as if they never happened.
Luxury villas in SVG? Here they are and the top four are all on Bequia! Buccament Bay doesn’t get a mention – AND – some of these villas are within resort hotels so it is a direct comparison with BB!
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/travel/destinations/caribbean/article4266941.ece?shareToken=738b06b630b0c4861a018ac90bd25dd7
15,000 UK nationals visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2013 and included St. Vincent Nationals with UK passports. For Dave Ames to have an average 65% occupancy of his planned 1200 bed resort an additionjal 81,200 visitors will be required. That’s one 787-7 dream liner per day, experts will point out that a 65% occupancy is a break even point.
If we believe Ames and the claims that occupancy levels could be as high as 100% this would necessitate a further 197 Dreamliner flights a year. At Ames’ claimed occupancy 11 flights would be required per week, add St. Lucia and Barbados to this and we are looking at an additional 42 Dreamliner flights per week,
This would mean close to a trebelling of current airlift capacity to Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent.
This is truly amazing, even bizarre, has anyone ever looked at the figures and the claims, why haven’t established resorts like sandals, Hyatt, four seasons or the Marriott chain, not seen the market potential and exploited it, ?
And what was the secret to Harlequin that allowed Ames to claim he was redefining luxury in the Caribbean, was it only those filet steaks in Jacks? Was that the secret all along? Or was it the beds ? Or was it the Ice Creams, it sure as hell wasn’t the choice of pools, it wasn’t the A/C, nighife, Waterpark, Casino, or Shopping Mall, it wasn’t the transfer, the low or non existent water pressure in BLU St. Lucia, the coffee in the coffee pods, or was it just really the towel art or the imported white sand beach ?
Towel art is so so so downscale Carnival Cruise Line…
Ok this from the judgment in the RL case, has Ames not been regaling us with tales of increased business year on year, ? increased business meaning more guests…
So why reduce the number of staff even though business is increasing month on month, year on year ?
What is the staff reduction doing to the staff guest ratios ?
Is Ames redefining 5 Star Classification ?
You just have to love this guy Ames lol.
11. As regards BBL, Mr. Ames’ response was similar. Although BBL appears to have no assets, and has never filed accounts, it employed 320 staff (down from about 500) to operate Buccament Bay Resort and had its own management structure, from the General Manager downwards. There was no “bird’s eye” management from Essex.
12. In a further witness statement dated 24th July 2014, Mr. Ames revised the number of BBL employees downwards to 269, of which 61 were casual employees. He reiterated that, while he met some investors in the UK, he met others outside the UK in many other locations and that the same was true of his signing contracts. He made the point that the Tomlin order was made in a separate action, in which HMSSE was a defendant, and had no jurisdictional implications as regards these petitions.
@ WFS Exactly how did that vitriol advance the cause of Harlequin?
Does Buccament Bay have a sewage
treatment facility on or close to the Resort? NO. Sadly that particular phase of the project has not yet been completed. So what happens the raw sewage ? It is supposed to be shipped by tanker to an off loading area. St. Vincent currently does NOT have a tertiary treatment facility and is the subject of a US environment warning.
“Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive”
There is a discharge pipe located behind the Bay Beach Restaraunt that enters the Water at that location, it has been aledged that untreated sewage has been pumped through this pipe on a number of occasions. Buccament Bay has been visited by the chief medical officer on a number of occasions and water samples were taken from the bay. The Chief Medical officer did ask Harlequin to dispose of its sewage at a different location.
There were also two documented emergency discharges of raw sewage into Buccament Bay from the resort which necessitated a visit by the countries chief medical officer on both occasions.
Ancient petroglyphs were found at Buccament Bay, and another World Heritage petroglyph site is located a stones throw away in Layou,
This article might prove interesting,
https:
//naturalbelonger.wordpress.com/2013/04/
It clearly demonstrates concerns as to Harlequins respect for the history and local environment of Buccament Bay.
A mummified body of a mother and baby was discovered during excavations for some buildings at The Buccament Bay Resort and this discovery was recorded by government Archeologists, finding ancient remains is not uncommon in construction, yet in the case of Harlequin, rather then embrace the culture and history behind the finds, the finds are instead denied, as if they never happened.
Ok this from the judgment in the RL case, has Ames not been regaling us with tales of increased business year on year, ? increased business meaning more guests…
So why reduce the number of staff even though business is increasing month on month, year on year ?
What is the staff reduction doing to the staff guest ratios ?
Is Ames redefining 5 Star Classification ?
You just have to love this guy Ames lol.
11. As regards BBL, Mr. Ames’ response was similar. Although BBL appears to have no assets, and has never filed accounts, it employed 320 staff (down from about 500) to operate Buccament Bay Resort and had its own management structure, from the General Manager downwards. There was no “bird’s eye” management from Essex.
12. In a further witness statement dated 24th July 2014, Mr. Ames revised the number of BBL employees downwards to 269, of which 61 were casual employees. He reiterated that, while he met some investors in the UK, he met others outside the UK in many other locations and that the same was true of his signing contracts. He made the point that the Tomlin order was made in a separate action, in which HMSSE was a defendant, and had no jurisdictional implications as regards these petitions.
15,000 UK nationals visited St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 2013 and included St. Vincent Nationals with UK passports. For Dave Ames to have an average 65% occupancy of his planned 1200 bed resort an additionjal 81,200 visitors will be required. That’s one 787-7 dream liner per day, experts will point out that a 65% occupancy is a break even point.
If we believe Ames and the claims that occupancy levels could be as high as 100% this would necessitate a further 197 Dreamliner flights a year. At Ames’ claimed occupancy 11 flights would be required per week, add St. Lucia and Barbados to this and we are looking at an additional 42 Dreamliner flights per week,
This would mean close to a trebelling of current airlift capacity to Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent.
This is truly amazing, even bizarre, has anyone ever looked at the figures and the claims, why haven’t established resorts like sandals, Hyatt, four seasons or the Marriott chain, not seen the market potential and exploited it, ?
And what was the secret to Harlequin that allowed Ames to claim he was redefining luxury in the Caribbean, was it only those filet steaks in Jacks? Was that the secret all along? Or was it the beds ? Or was it the Ice Creams, it sure as hell wasn’t the choice of pools, it wasn’t the A/C, nighife, Waterpark, Casino, or Shopping Mall, it wasn’t the transfer, the low or non existent water pressure in BLU St. Lucia, the coffee in the coffee pods, or was it just really the towel art or the imported white sand beach ?
I have seen a video, taken by residents of the Buccament Bay village, of waste from the resort being pumped in to the river, which then flows right on to the beach of the resort!
A prominent news man in St. Vincent posted a video to his Facebook page of human waste being pumped into an open soak away on resort.
All of the food and cooking waste from The Bay and foul smelling run off from the garbage stored behind the restaurant is pouring straight into the ocean, where the guests and locals bathe.
Want pictures? No problem, they can be posted here too if you need the proof!
Matthew Chapman of the BBC Panorama program discovered Project Orange, he came across invoices presented to Harlequin from Jefferies Solicitors in Southend for services provided to Harlequin in respect of Project Orange. It was previously stated on BFP that Project Orange was the ” Code Word” used by Harlequin to cover up or hide the actual work undertaken.
Jeffries Solicitors, DLA Piper, Simon Terry, Wilkins Kennedy and Dave Ames were all associated with project orange, DLA Piper were concerned that Harlequin could be exposed if the SFO or authorities were to conduct a dawn raid on Harlequin such was the state of the record keeping at the time.
Project Orange was a sweeping under the Carpet of Harlequin problems exercise and would probably have stayed under the carpet had it not been for the liquidation of HMSSE and ASOL.
Problem for Ames is that some on here keep raising the profile of Project Orange, given that invoices exist referring to Project Orange it will not take HMRC / SFO / Essex Police long to assertain from those involved the true purpose behind the operation named Project Orange.
Something has rattled the pro Harlequin mob again.
As usual they respond in the vilest manner possible and attack those who they suspect of posting, in a most reprehensible manner, they are not interested in providing reasonable arguments but seek to turn readers off reading this forum by posting the most vile of comments. I doubt very much that Mr. Ames will seek to have these posters identified through the courts in the US, I hope BFP moderators cleanse this forum of the filth that was produced.
You can’t even call these posters bullies, that’s too good a name for them.
Is it a massive attack on MONDAY?
@Disgusting aka Anon 1/Chris Sutton. You are obviously new on here. You want evidence of vile attacks? The anti HP “bullies” as you call them began this line 2 years ago. Silent telephone calls, nasty remarks about old women, posting personal details. Oh yes you have a lot to learn about vile attacks. Now take your self righteousness and pious postings and shove it up your big US ass.
Bob you can dish it out but you can’t take it. The bully bullied Hahahah! I find that really funny.
Someone mentioned Manderfield -Wooller having a villa(s) or something at Buc Bay. It may be worth HMRC, SFO et al looking at her connections and how they may have benefited- in some way, or clear them out of said investigations to gain focus? For example Katherine Taylor CEO of Guardian SIPP ( possibly the biggest SIPP provider supporting Harlequin sales) claims she doesn’t know Manderfield yet they may very well have been in constant touch for many years. And may still been in regular touch! Manderfield / Wooller you may recall was recommending SIPPS as a vehicle to purchase property from Harlequin. I do no more that suggest the investigations should be varied and wide. Those that have nothing to hide have nothing to fear. On the other hand there may be a lot of help that could be provided if information gained helps peoples cases.
@Anon 9.40 I’m glad you think bullying is so funny. Bullying behind an anonymous ID is called trolling. And that’s just what you are, an anonymous troll.
Many vile attacks originated from whatthefuss, bob’s only friend. If you want to see the true victims of the harlequin ponzi scheme, speak to the old people that are about to retire, who trusted dave ames with their pension, after being misled about finance and timescales, and now face a life of poverty, these are the true victims.
Bob , when you spend your days provoking victims of a ponzi scheme, what reaction are you expecting ?Its’ like going onto a jewish forum, and spending your days writing about the virtues of the nazis and hitler, while regularly insulting jewish people.
I wouldnt even accuse you of being a shill bob, it would be over rating your importance, you are just a lonely old man with nothing better to do with his life than write crap on a forum.
@Aop, fortunately you know nothing about the life of Mr Storey. If you did you would realise how stupidly inaccurate your remarks are. Funny you should comment about crap on a forum, exactly what you have just written, you are just trolling along as normal. Hey ho what ever turns you on.
No one calls him “Mr Storey.”
Why would an anonymous poster hiding behind an anonymous id refer to John Wayne Bobbitt as “Mr Storey?”
How odd.
The situation is clear, do we both walk away or not?
Robert Storey and the other Harlequin Trolls are disgusting cowards, Robert justifies his stance by claiming to be a victim of cyber bullying, all we ever hear from him is how he is the subject of incessant anonymous calls, at one point from the UK and lately from the Caribbean and Bequia.
What I find odd is that we now have two documented cases of people completing, Harlequin were at pains to publicise this fact and we have Robert Storey who has not yet completed, yet was getting his return, refusing to make any comment on the issue of completions.
@Anon 2.32 your post is factually inaccurate. Get your facts right before you call anyone a troll.
Using the term Mr Storey is a sign of respect by another poster. Respect being something that is beyond your comprehension.
This is the first and last time I will post anything today. Your expected trolling replies will not be answered.
Anon:2:32 Wellllllllllllll – I guess he told you !!
This whole end-game situation puts me in mind of a child that has been caught doing something wrong by an adult and, rather than give in and own up, they concoct ever more elaborate lies to try to dig themselves out of a hole. The adult has long since stopped being taken in by the child who even seems to believe the story they are making up.
Storey won’t clarify the facts around him being paid a return for his unit, yet lack of publicised completion because he was not being paid a rental return but was being paid by Harlequin to troll for them on the internet.
Pity they didn’t find another gimp, as Storey just helped to confirm that Harlequin was a low class con being run by a bunch of uneducated chavs.
Its a tall Storey. The only people I’ve seen paying respect to Koko (I have a) Cabana are his alter ego’s.
As expected Storey disappears back into the world of anonymous trolls, for an individual who mocks any discussion on Harlequin deriding any and all negative talk, he has little or nothing to say in support of Harlequin, it could be that he is desperately clinging on to the hope that he does not loose his investment, that fact, most if not all can sympathise with, the manner in which he and others go about this, is not however worthy of merit or sympathy.
SFO have interviewed Tall Storey once- and I happen to know they haven’t finished with him.
Mr. Storey has scoffed at the notion that the mummified remains of a Carib Indian Woman and Child were discovered at Buccament Bay during construction excavations, the remains were indeed uncovered very close to some very significant cave paintings close to the sea shore at Buccament, the remains were removed and archaeologists documented the find, which to historians and locals was fascinating.
Either Mr. Storey is superstitious or fearful that the discovery or more importantly word of the discovery might well affect the value of his property.
Interestingly enough for those who may be superstitious, the bodies were found under what is now the concrete slab, for what was to have been the Waters Edge hotel block. This has never been built, could it possibly be that the disrespect shown to the Carib Indians has manifested itself into the problems at Buccament Bay today.
There are huge problems for Ames and Harlequin in St. Vincent, the problems are of such a magnitude that Sam Commissiong has refused to defend Ames and Harlequin against the increasing number of local creditors pursuing Ames and Harlequin through the courts.
Commissiong however had no problem with defending Ames against investor claims even going as far as to lie for Ames in the Davies case, but to do so on your own turf to your fellow countrymen, in what is an election year, is a step too far even for Commissiong, Ralph will have made the call here, the one thing Ralph cannot abide by in his election year is local creditors being owed significant sums of money.
The timing for Ames and Harlequin is all wrong, HMRC, SFO, ESSEX Police, Ralph Gonsalves, and all those properties Ames tried to hide by having them held in trust by 3rd Parties.
Not good timing at all.
Only once? Are you sure? I wonder if the SFO were interested in a telephone call from a photographer who sails in Bequia?
Again I say Storey has little or nothing to say in support of Harlequin, he however feels that attacking others is supporting Harlequin, this is like a soccer hooligan, they claim to support a specific team but their sole mission is to create mayhem.
Storey has never once put up any valid reasons as to why (1). He feels his investment is sound. (2). That the business model works.
(3). Why it is ok for Ames not to produce independently verifiable occupancy figures. (4). Why it’s ok for Ames not to provide audited accounts. (5). Why he, even though he had not completed, was receiving his returns.
When asked basic questions in the past, he has flatly refused to answer them, by either stating that it’s none of anyone else’s business, or by stating that he has no knowledge of the facts, strange for someone who attacks all negativity against Harlequin.
Funny too when you get some quite comprehensive answers to Project Orange, the Sewage Problem or the Indian burial site, you have two things that always happen, (1). Absolute silence on the actual matters, (2). Disgusting attacks on the usual suspects.
You then find no mention of those same topics by Storey and Co. for weeks, then when the dust has settled Storey and Co. resurrect the same. They then deny that they are posting, all very odd behaviour, but heh we are dealing with Harlequin, so it is to be expected.
Ah the Indian burial site. Would that be an Indian burial site which was on a flood plain? Who uses a flood plain as a burial site. You could not make it up. Hahaha lol zzzzzzzzzzz
@ TWOTTT
Well Amerindians used beaches; does that count?
http://www.thevoiceslu.com/features/2009/july/11_07_09/SLNT_Youth_Group_visits_Cas_en_Bas_Amerindian_Burial_Site.htm
Yeah Bob who would build on a flood plain? And who today in their right mind would want to live on a flood plain, that’s why Dave Ames redefines geography and geology along with everything else.
just some flood plain locations below, Note Buccament Bay is not on my list. We know the GV would never build on a flood plain unlike those “idiots” on my list below.
http:// http://www.nuneatonandbedworth.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/1096/managing_flood_risk_background_paper
https: //nuneatonmemories.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/history.pdf
Other flood plain conurbations, include lessor well known cities, LONDON, PARIS, SHANGHAI.
Lol brilliant, love it.
Hahaha lol zzzzzzzzz fallen for it again! How many hours of your life did it take to find something that means nothing to me. You must think I am “Bob” haha lol. You and your mini me Anonymous. You need to get a life mate.
No one has fallen for anything “mate”, Harlequin and their supporters for months have denied that Buccament Bay was built on a flood plain, there is no problem with building on a flood plain if you ensure that the issues pertaining to the flood plain are dealt with in a manner which does not adversely affect those around you.
I am not sure what is more sad, being Robert Storey, or pretending to be Robert Storey
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/metro-pervert-followed-dozens-female-7719730
But “mate” would Indians bury their dead on a flood plain? What do think “pal?” Why is a article relating to Nuneaton of interest? Unless of course you think there is some connection with it? Oh I see you think I have something to do with it? You must think I am someone else. Yes “mate” that is exactly what you have fallen for. Sucker.
Why wouldn’t Indians bury their dead on flood plains? Londoners have, Parisians have, the residents of Shanghai have so why wouldn’t the Indians at Buccament Bay. ?
When Bob and his mates loose an argument or when the GVs ridiculous claims have been exposed as claims of a fantasist the Trolls come out with the, I’m not who you think I am game.
See to Harlequin Ames Bob and Co. this is all a game, a game which only they find funny.
They have no interest in discussing the future of our investments.
Let’s just remind ourselves of what Ames was saying in 2012, two years after the Builder and Wilkins Kennedy left the scene of the crime. So they cannot be blamed for the following having not been achieved, I know it’s stomach churning just to read this, but it’s always good to keep the claims made by the GV fresh in our minds, especially for anyone engaged in litigation.
I suggest this is downloaded ASAP before the GV has this removed.
http: //www.harlequinhotelsandresorts.com/downloads/HQ_NEWSLETTER_GENERAL_2012.pdf
All major cities are build on rivers. That’s why they are major cities. Rivers flood. London, Paris, Shanghai? So what.
What sort of crap link is that?
Travel Zoo is offering 7 nights at Buccament Bay for 1199 pounds; take off the BA 500 pound flight cost and that works out to 100/night.
Sandles 7 nights St Lucia £1229. Jamaica £1339. Virgin holidays advertising holidays in BB. Of course they are not a top holiday company are they?
Thanks for the link, that update from Harlequin sums it up nicely.
I love this quote on page 45 of the Newsletter,
“The changes made at blu hotel in St Lucia is astounding, it is a completely new looking hotel. The information I got tonight on the Harlequin properties will ensure that I sell the hotels with confidence” Sheree Hassack, Personal Travel Advisor
I love it in the context of the reference to Hotel Blu on page 14.
Why bother upgrading the Hotel Sheree Hassack seemed quite happy with the BLU Hotel as was, so why bother with the bathroom upgrades,
Fast forward 2 years, and guests seem to complain about the lack of water for showers and the incessant noise from the outdoor bar next door.
Could someone please show me the conference facilities available at BLU.
I love the roof on Trader Vics at page 8, however that’s now the roof of the ” State of the Art” conference Center. No Trader Vics.
What happened to Christine on page 8 and Gianluca on page 9. Or Kevin Smith on page 14? And has Harlequin Developments now changed its name to Argo, what happened the Managing Director of Harlequin Developments, and how come he was never an employee of that company ? Campion was a full time employee of Harlequin Properties (Barbados) Ltd. and where was that company registered ? According to BFP not in Barbados. Campion was not employed by Harlequin (Barbados) Property Ltd. and why so many companies with so many similar names, and why is Campion not employed by the company that he was Managing Director for.
What happened LFC who are referred to in the Brochure, Trader Vics ? Where are they.
This is what Ames said about these associations,
“We have teamed up with a number of world-renowned brands so that our hotels and resorts offer a unique range of top class amenities for all the family. These famous names add considerable quality, value and prestige to our hotels and resorts, as well as demonstrating and qualifying the company’s vision of redefining luxury in the Caribbean.”
What happened Gary Player ? Or the WICB ?
What happened Brazil and the finance for the Dominican Republic, all referred to in the Newsletter, what happened the Trader Vics in St. Lucia?
The link raises so many questions, so many.
Very relevant link, Thank you.
@ Anonymous 10.39, you are completely missing the point, Ames has guaranteed that investors will receive again a “Guaranteed” 250 million dollars a year for the first two years of operations. Yes “Guaranteed”, ok for the 100-110 units complete at Buccament Bay he will owe $ 5 million USD. in Guaranteed monies. That mate works out at £ 45 quid per night pp, if the hotel was 100% full for the year. If it was 50% full it would work out at £ 90 quid per night, leaving Harlequin with £ 10 pp to for an all inclusive 5 star service, pay the staff, pay the water and electricity bills, the maintenance costs, the marketing, that mate is the problem.
Harlequin is not Sandals, Sandals don’t owe investors over three quarters of a billion dollars, Ames does.
According to Ames in his case in the UK with RL he claims to have 269 employees at Buccament Bay and approx 30 staff in Basildon, These are Ames’ words. Not mine, not SGD, not Anon or Anonymous, now given that Ames is no longer selling property, where does the money come from to pay the salaries?
Let’s say the UK salaries amount to £ 120,000 before tax, £ 4,000 avg per employee (I should not mention tax given the current HMRC probe).
And let’s say the Buccament Bay staff earn an average of £2 per hour per 12 hour shift. Let’s say £24.00 per day or about £ 720 per month per staff member, or £193,680.00.
We know from the Matt Ames case that senior staff would have been on substantial salaries, Matt afterall was not even the GM and was to be on a salary of in excess of £ 10,000.00 per month, this according to Matt Ames’ defence attorney in his criminal trial in Feb of this year.
This was the sum Matt was offering to pay in restitution to his victims in lieu of a custodial sentence, as was offered to the judge by his defence attorney.
If Ames was to make £ 100 pp per night, at 100% occupancy per month he would earn £ 600,000. Take from this the £ 313,680.00, let’s add the guaranteed return for 50 investors to complete, why shouldn’t we, Ames keeps telling us about completions, this of course is a double edged sword for Ames because for every completion he must pay a guaranteed return, so let’s call it 50 investors who to date have handed over completion money. Dave is looking at paying out a Guaranteed return of some £110,000 per month.
This added to the £ 318,680.00 is £428,680.00 per month, leaving £171,320.00 or £ 28 pp per night to provide food and beverage to the guests, and the best Filet Steak in the Caribbean cannot come cheap, oh of course the operational costs must also come out of this £ 28 pp per night, for electricity, water, the cost of the “free cruise” and all the other “freebies” which do have associated costs, which everway we want to look at it.
But what if the resort was only operating at say 60% occupancy, this is where the problem lies, the salaries and guaranteed returns remain constant irrespective of the occupancy rates, but at 60% Occupancy, a 60% occupancy give Ames revenues of £ 360,000.00, but costs excluding food, drink, electricity, water, maintenance, insurance, marketing and freebe costs come to£428,680.00. A 19% loss before all the additional costs.
If Ames gets 100 people to complete the losses increase by a further £ 110,000.00 or 26 % per month before all other costs.
So something has to give, something always has to give, the model is unsustainable at £ 100 per person per night.
If Ames was to get the 70% completion money from investors. Less then 60% of this completion money would be available to Ames to continue with the build, the balance would need to offset ongoing operational shortfalls.
I have not included the operational shortfalls for the Blu Hotel, but they would be even higher, again let’s not forget, the BLU Hotel units were sold at a premium, it was Ames’ plan to sell them at a premium given the expected returns were to have been made a lot faster then the conventional resorts.
The current pricing structure of £ 100 pp indicates an issue with commanding higher rates for the Harlequin product. Buccament Bay rates have been slashed for quite some time now.
If Dave was trading at a loss or insolvently he would be out of business by now, he’s not.
The resorts at both Buccament Bay and the Blu hotel are going from strength to strength, and attracting positive reviews and attention from the travel community at large.
The UK staff are tasked with invoicing etc for the completion monies, monies owed to Dave by investors, remember over 100 units are available to investors to complete on, some investors have found themselves unable to complete, this is not Dave’s fault, for whatever reasons the investors can’t complete, but you do not see Dave going after these investors for their funds, do you ? No you don’t.
The UK office is self financing and is not funded from the hotel operations. The calculations above are also all wrong. The hotel commands rates 4-6 times that quoted by SGD, sometimes guests have to cancel holidays, they will have paid substantial deposits etc, these deposits tend to be non refundable however the guests can claim through their travel insurance, allowing Dave to put these cancelled rooms up at extremely advantageous rates, this is not to say that this was the price paid for the room, the previous guests deposits are retained by Harlequin so Harlequin is not at a loss, the previous guest gets their money back through their insurance, the lucky new guest gets a cracking holiday for a cracking rate, and once they experience all the resort has to offer they spread the news, so its a win all round, no one looses.
The rates for the staff are also wrong, Dave pays the highest rates in the Caribbean for staff, and also provides them with uniforms and other perks, staff can also eat free in the staff areas from food not utilised for guests so wastage rarely if ever occurs, there is an abundance of water in SVG so there is no cost to Harlequin, Harlequin also is looking to install solar panels to its resort, which will allow them to sell the surplus electricity generated back to Vinlec in St. Vincent, so not only will the resort not have to pay for any electricity they will be paid for it, the fewer guests at the hotel the more electricity available to sell to Vinlec.
As a result of the above and until the solar panel installation is complete Vinlec is charging the resort a minimal rate for electricity.
Operational costs at the hotel are therefore negligible.
The cost of food and drink at the resort is also below £10 per person per day, most of the produce is locally produced and Harlequin have invested heavily to allow local farmers increase productivity, a % of the produce is then given to the hotel at very special rates allowing the local farmers to sell the balance at much higher rates, again Harlequin and the local farmers both win. Harlequin through it’s initial investment in increases productivity and the farmer as a direct result of his productivity.
So a little knowledge on the resort or its operations leads to the speculative but inaccurate figures provided by the previous poster.
To the previous poster, what is your position within harlequin ?
It seems that dave is trying to rewrite history, he wants investors to completely overlook the original promises, because this is convenient for dave.
Dave chose to target less wealthy, naive investors to raise captial. Nobody forced dave to make this decision, this was Dave’s choice, nobody put a gun to daves head, this was dave’s decision, and dave’s decision alone,
Dave is now expecting the customers who, by daves own words, are not wealthy, to now raise hundreds of thousands, and invest this, contrary to warnings from financial institutions.
Investors have to speculate, because harlequin have repeatedly failed to provide auditable accounts, another reason why investors should be reluctant to invest.
‘If Dave was trading at a loss or insolvently he would be out of business by now, he’s not.’
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS aka Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Limited and Harlequin Management Services (South East) Ltd are insolvent that is why both companies are in liquidation. HMRC continue to investigate this web of lies and deceit.
You really are beginning to sound desperate.
And by the way, the food is not produced locally it is flown in from Miami.
Investors may be interested to know, that you can view the original harlequin website, with the 100% mortgage guarantee
http://web.archive.org/web/20070422165158/http://www.harlequinproperty.co.uk/includes/100percent.php
From the latest review on TA, which is 5 Star, but lists the following as ‘trivial issues’.
The trivial issues referred to above are:
Rattan furniture is showing its age and needs replacing.
The mattresses for the sun beds are mouldy, however the pool guys do put covers over the mattresses.
The towels in the rooms are showing their age. Frayed and rough.
The towel replenishment is hit and miss, seems to be pot luck whether you get hand towels or not.
The turn down service is hit and miss.
Mini bar refill is hit and miss but if you call reception it’s sorted quickly.
The plunge pool in our villa was leaking and looked dirty. It was not topped up for 3 days and we had to ask a couple of times to get it sorted.
Like I said not major issues but if you’re paying top dollar you’d be a bit disappointed.
The reviewer also says “exceptional value for money if you’ve got a web deal.” and “Although not perfect the trivial issues certainly would not stop us from going again however if you paid published rack rate your expectations might not be met.”
So quite probably this reviewer paid something like the £100 per night that SGD suggested and although it is a matter of opinion if the issues listed are trivial or not, what is surprising is that they even exist. In most well managed hotels replacement of these worn items would be automatic by the housekeeping dept which would have a budget for such things but as this has been reported by various reviewers over several months quite clearly there is no money available. Why would a 5 Star hotel not replace minor items which would be of insignificant cost?
The reviewer also dived with Dive St Vincent and Indigo Dive during their stay at BB, booking them independently. Why would they do that when on their website BB advertises Serenity Diving as being at BB? Serenity however makes no mention of BB on their website, is this yet another local company that BB have fallen out with?
Looks like Bob Ladell is no stranger to insolvency (remember the Pro Harlequin Dave’s Trust)
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-60344-1719038
@Keeping it in the family? Yawn yawn. I guess the trolling academy didn’t teach you the difference between a solvent and an insolvent liquidation. It was a members’ voluntary liquidation which means it had enough assets to pay all its creditors and return a surplus to the shareholders.
Now troll on lol!
I believe the bunker are getting pissed off due to not being paid, no wages for the Christmas period…..
loose lips trying to get the journalists interested in running a con story. Watch this space……
Ames has been tipped off and is not happy. He can’t stop it this time.
“The resorts at both Buccament Bay and the Blu hotel are going from strength to strength, and attracting positive reviews and attention from the travel community at large.”
– Care to share revenue and profit numbers? No? Then you’re lying.
“The UK office is self financing and is not funded from the hotel operations.”
– No it’s not. The “UK Office” is in liquidation and under investigation from HMRC for unpaid tax.
“Operational costs at the hotel are therefore negligible”
– Only a conman would write this drivel. Hotel operating costs are never going to be “negligible”. Staff, utilities, food, are all overheads which will never go away. This is exclusive of maintenance, of course. But who needs maintenance!??
Not ONE business in St. Vincent will provide any produce or service to Buccament Bay Resort unless money is paid up front.
It is speculated that the resort owes Vinlec hundreds of thousands of dollars, that National Insurance payments have been deducted from staff salaries over the past eighteen months or so, but the contributions have yet to be paid into the Natioal Insurance Scheme.
Anon @ 2.30 are you referring to the Alternate Universe BBR?
I have seen shipping containers of food arrive from Miami that were held in customs for so long, because there was no cash to pay the local clearing costs, that by the time the container arrived between 50% – 90% has to be thrown away because it had spoiled.
@ Dave Offered 100% etc Nov 17 7.08am
Definition of “guarantee”: a formal assurance (usually in writing) that certain conditions will be fulfilled.
On what basis was the guarantee of mortgages being made? No doubt Harlequin would claim that, like the rest of the world, it had no way of predicting the financial crisis of 2008. Quite so. But without that foreknowledge they had no business offering guarantees unless they were prepared to back them by some kind of insurance product (which would have been unaffordable for such an offer of mortgages). They should have said that they would make “best endeavours” to source mortgages and that would have been honest and allowed investors to make an informed choice. That some investors are now incapable of completing on their “investment” is not a situation of their own making. Many, dare I say most, would have run a mile from this if they knew the “guarantee” was no such thing.
What do they call it when someone is induced to make an investment on the back of a promise that turns out to not be true…?
What a waste- should give them 48 hrs to pay and if not distribute the food to the poor.
I recall seeing announcements that the airport in SVG would be open in early 2105…which is now very near. We’re certainly near enough that an opening date should be set. Does anyone know when it is?
It certainly looks like this stupid little man and his hangers on will be finally taken to task. It’s HMRC that will bring them, the scum agents and Bob the #anker to their knees. I have reported my agent for tax fraud, a pain of a process on line, but I felt so bloody happy after it. The tide is turning and toxic turn king short legs kanute can’t stop it!!!!!
Of course the sewage in pumped into the sea, what do you expect from the impoverished village next to BBR ? I too have seen the pipe pumping untreated human waste direct into the sea. It gave me a terrible skin infection. Totally disgusting from the toxic toad. What do you expect????
No one reported anyone for anything, so please knock it on the head. Sid the airport should be fully operational mid 2015, construction work is due to recommence in earnest at Buccament Bay around the same time.
Sid, mid 2015 for commercial flights. There will be 4/5 months as a shakedown period prior to that.
@Sid The authorities keep insisting that the Airport will be substantially finished by the end of 2014 , and will be ready to receive International flights early 2015. Having seen the project in late October, I can safely say that they are off by at least one year !
@anoymous 1.23 you are way behind. Do try and keep up with the latest news.
It’s all academic as far as Harlequin is concerned. Some improved infrastructure may be in place for the new owners.
Bob, we are all way behind, please update everyone with the “latest news”.
I think they may be putting the finishing touches to the airport in much the same way as the Buccament Bay marina in January 2010.
You really have to make sure you use the right kind of language in your news updates
Chaps, I hope you don’t think I’m Tall Storey- I was merely commenting on the future of Buccament Bay. Don’t think B Storey aka Koko Cabana will be in situ!
Can the Rapid Response Rottweiler TEAM ensconced in the Basildon Bunker make any comment about the two insolvent Harlequin companies headed up by members of the Ames family?
“Chaps!” That’s a bit sexist. Just a bit public school I’d say. Whato
I’d be interested to know what Ames’ mood is like lately, if he is still feeling positive. Is anyone close enough to him to comment?
Give him a call Sid. Go on pick up the phone.
And ask him what….how are you feeling? Even if I did do you think he’d tell the truth?
If your comment is suggesting that I wouldn’t call him, I have spoken with him on a number of occasions….all of which have been a waste of oxygen.
I thought you wanted to know what his mood is like. As far as I know it is top class. He is always positive.
I do and think that’s a reasonable question to put out there considering everything that is going on. I’m just wondering how worried he is by all the accusations and threats that are being banded about.
Dave is in great form. The issue with HMRC is simple, Dave is owed substantial sums from HMRC through the Terminal Loss Relief claim, far more then Dave owes through ASOL. The petition by HMRC to wind up ASOL failed on the grounds that ASOL was already in liquidation, looks like HMRC had their eye off the ball on that one.
The Liquidation of ASOL and HMSSE has no impact whatsoever on the operation of the overseas companies. Indeed the liquidation of ASOL formed part of the strategic reorganisation of the companies.
Why don’t people ever look at the positives.
As you can see from this newspaper interview Buccament Bay has been between 80 & 85% full, and commands very strong rack rates. $ 650 to $ 1800 per night.
And even as far back as 2012 investors were very happy with the returns they were making.
Why would a guy who pumped all the money from the sale of his business want to rip himself off?
I suggest if you want facts read the article and not the usual negative crap from posters and RL who have hidden agendas.
http:// http://www.hotelnewsnow. com/mobile/articles.aspx?articleid=7742
All this talk of 100 units having only been built is hog wash, Ames has 242 units opened at Buccament Bay and a further 110 at the BLU in St. Lucia.
Sorry here is the link again http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/mobile/articles.aspx?articleid=7742
HMRC have powers that are very similar to the SFO’s when investigating tax fraud. No doubt the lawyers and accountants who acted for the likes of TailorMade and Marcus James will prove to be very helpful when Disclosure Notices are issued. http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/dpps_investigatory_powers/
@Anonymous 5:56pm
Liars are always caught in the end.
That’s true, paddy would concur with that statement.
I’m most certain that Paddy concurs with the fact that Ames & Co are liars, as do thousands of others associated with Harlequin, what must be most gratifying for Paddy is the fact that Ames and Co. changed their stories in subsequent legal actions to the Irish Case, yes liars are eventually caught and caught out.
Oooops sorry, are these lies by Ames and Co. covered by an NDA, I do apologise if they are.
http://www.hotelnewsnow.c
om/mobile/articles.aspx?articleid=7742
Oh sorry I apologise, just got you now, I’m a bit slow sorry, with all the expose’s on Ames you are once again trying to deflect attention away from Dave, see I could not see any link between what Ames and Sawkins told hotels now and Paddy, so I thought you were asking if Paddy concurred as to the statement referring to Ames that liars get caught, I see now you are trying to say that Paddy is a liar, well sadly he is not.
Jeez I wonder if all the Police, SFO, HMRC investigations are down to Paddy, I mean Ames’ little loyal band seem totally consumed by Paddy.
A guy who is appealing a judgment of some 0.25 % of monies Dave took in.
Anonymous
17/11/14 5.56
Looking at the positives,how many investors in 2012 were “happy with their returns”
Quoting room rates and Occupancy of BB in early 2012 has no relevance to what obtains today. Room rack rates are at 50 % of 2012, and occupancy is certainly not at 80 to 85%.
I like the reference to GV having sold his business, and then taking the money to invest in land to develop his projects..I believe that the records show that he went bankrupt twice, before he got involved in this scheme.
Interesting post on TA referring again to guests being made to sign bills for food even though it is an AI resort. The reviewer says that the value of the bills were ridiculous quoting $70 for sandwich, coffee and cake twice.
This will make it interesting if and when investors make it to the 50:50 net room share deal. I can only presume that “net” means met of the cost of providing the AI element. At rates like that there will be about $5 to split 50:50 with investors!
Well if the average occupancy was 80-85% in 2012 and Ames tells us a number of times since then that bookings have increased an avg of 100% year on year or some such nonsense then the average occupancy should be in excess of 160-170% of that in 2012.
@anonymous 7.46 not only are you a bit slow, you are also a bit thick. Cannot even put a link up correctly.
Anonymous
17/11/14 4.40
I can assure investors that Daves mood in the last two days is dipping drastically. He did not expain himself.
It’s ok, most others got the link, sorry about it though,
Here it is again
http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/mobile/articles.aspx?articleid=7742
http://m.travelagentcentral.com/saint-lucia/harlequin-hotels-resorts-st-lucia-property-course-open-april-1-34174
http://ameinfo.com/blog/company-news/f/fairmont-hotels-&-resorts/mark-sawkins-appointed-general-manager-fairmont-palm/
http://www.united2succeed.org.uk/trust/meetings/
http://www.mapgpi.com/news_more.asp?news=102
I forgot to mention that Dave was upbeat on the funding crisis, and he feels that a loan is just around the corner.
I replied which corner is that Dave,is it in the UK?
Dave
I will call on you tomorrow so we can discuss your future plans for investors.
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/5816/sod-usd800m-project
@Anonymous 7.46/8.09 is that the same link that was put up 5.57? Repetition can be so boring. Still gives the trolls something to do.
Robert , if you read the definition of a troll, it is describing you.. You see robert, 5999 investors that have spent £400 million and now have investments valued at a £1 , they have a genuine reason to be unhappy. Who would have invested if Harlequin had been transparent about its finances and resources ?
c In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion
No repetition mate, you pointed out that my link was broken so it took me three attempts to correct it, thanks for pointing out the broken link to me, I thought it made for interesting reading though, when I did finally get the right link up, again thanks for pointing out the broken link, please keep up the good work. Again thanks.
are you saying robert, that the valuation of a hotel room is dependent on how the investor financed the deposit ?
Please explain yourself,
my understanding robert, is that investors have worthless contracts, regardless of how they paid the deposit. whether it was through a SIPP, cash or the 100% finance scam
Why don’t we look at some facts?
1. Harlequin has paid 0 returns
2. Harlequin has been “liquidated” in the UK. As per the court case with Fatchett this year, it means that Harlequin’s business is in the Caribbean. It also means that GV cannot sue you in UK courts… since it’s not in the UK’s jurisdiction.
3. Harlequin as yet have not outlined where, or when, finance will be made available. I doubt they have any at all. They certainly didn’t when promised people mortgages.
4. Harlequin’s “chairman” is the father of a convicted ponzi scheme fraud, Matthew Ames. He is serving prison time and facing complete bankruptcy for operating a scheme which scammed pensioners into sending him their money to buy teak trees in Sri Lanka. Harleuqin chairman’s son used the money to fund a luxury lifestyle. He [the son] is a fraud.
5. Harlequin’s chairman is twice bankrupted and is close to going so again. His UK “assets”, as far as we know, are still under a UK freezing order. He keeps claiming that the “investments are safe” in the Caribbean. Try telling that to a mortgage broker in the UK.
6. Harlequin stopped paying the much vaunted interest payments last year due to a “banking error”. To date, this “error” has not been rectified, and indeed, their UK company, presumably responsible for paying said money, is in liquidation. If this isn’t fraud, I don’t know what its.
7. Since mid 2013, Harlequin has promised “finance” for the extra resorts. As yet, no mention of either the finance or strategy has been publicised. This, as you may already know, is what’s known as a “bait and switch” – whereby highly demanded products are used to lure unsuspecting victims into a web of deceit and lies. Here’s the wikipedia definition:
“Bait-and-switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are “baited” by merchants’ advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the advertised goods are not available, or the customers are pressured by sales people to consider similar, but higher priced items (“switching”).”
In Harlequin’s case, the “bait” would be the mortgages. The “switch” will either be the “5 year waiver”, “raise your own money”, or complete loss of investment.
8. Despite numerous requests, no member of the Harlequin sales / customer services team has actually explained what caused the “cash flow” constriction since mid 2012. They have you believe their “business” would be operating “normally” if it were not for the “Irish builder”, yet having put that case behind them, they are at a loss to describe why they are still in a “cash flow glut”. Could it be that they don’t have any more “investors” to sign up, thus causing an effect known as a “ponzi scheme collapse”? This is purely speculation. I am not insinuating Harlequin is, or has been, a fraudulently represented scheme.
9. Harlequin have only built a fraction of the promised rooms.
10. The FCA have issued numerous warnings against handing any more money over to the “Harlequin Group” (which is not a legal entity). SIPP investments in the “group” are worth £1.
11. Cash / Direct investors have the stark choice of walking away (losing £10,000’s), or signing up to a “5 year waiver” in which they will entrust Harlequin to build the resorts without suing them. Even a fruit fly knows this will be a very bad position to be in. Very bad.
12. All of the companies in the Caribbean are owned by one person. That person, the “chairman” of Harlequin, is twice bankrupted and is the father of Ponzi scheme fraudster Matthew Ames. The son was convicted of running an illegal ponzi scheme in 2013.
13. Of the £440m taken in by HMSSE in the UK, £250m was spent on “sales and marketing”. This included huge commissions to IFA’s & agents who all cashed 8% of the gross purchase price for every Harlequin “property” sold. HMSSE also took their cut. This is the main reason why Harlequin is not able to realize their promised returns – they spent over half the money on “non building”.
14. In 2013, Harlequin took a former “contractor” to court in Ireland. At the cost of £5m of investors’ money, the chairman of Harlequin felt it in the best interests of investors to recoup “stolen money” the builder was accused of. Although the court ruled in favour of Harlequin (albeit awarding a menial $1.6m to the company), the judge was highly scathing of Harlequin’s “chairman” for not even having a written contract with the accused.
15. Even today, Harlequin employees are adamant that “finance is around the corner”. Sadly, this has yet to materialize into any tangible results.
Why do you think 5999 investors have an investment worth £1? Explain that one. Why do you keep referring to everyone as Robert? Do you think my name is Robert? What a very odd assumption.
@jon Bon jovi.
Item 1 = wrong.
@anonymous 10:11pm
Proof?
I must admit, the £1 valuation may have been optimistic, and the 5999 is not an exact number, as we know , harlequin does is not good at transparency or supplying auditable accounts, and so in the absence of any real data, we have to rely on newspaper reports
6000 (ish) investors have invested through harlequin, and to date, only a couple are seeing any kind of return
so, this leaves a vast majority of investors with a contracts that are void, worthless, not worth the paper they are written on.
Of course , person who is not robert, if you have evidence to the contrary, I would be glad to hear it,
@1D see the post below.
@Anonymous 10:26pm
Don’t see it.
Not below my post, the post of 1D! It cannot be below my post as there was no post below.
Seems to support my claim that absolute no-one has received returns?
I’m sure if there were any returns, GV would have told us all by now. He thought it was most appropriate to send an update claiming to have a list of IP addresses, so I’m sure he’ll let us know in good time when he gets around to signing cheques.
@Dave offered etc etc 10.20 “and to date only a couple are seeing returns . There you go.
Not proof.
Anonymous
November 17, 2014 at 10:59 pm
@Dave offered etc etc 10.20 “and to date only a couple are seeing returns . There you go
a couple are seeing returns, again, maybe optimistic.
But for a vast majority of investors, they have nothing but worthless contracts, and it was even suggested, by Matt Ames and Dan Dalligan, that harlequin could take action against those investors, that have already lost
400 million, for breach of contract.
Are harlequin able to prove their investors contracts still hold any value ?
Ah well believe what you want. I know it’s true, Dave offered etc etc knows it’s true, GF knows it’s true. Your mind must be in the same state as your ID, addled.
I don’t dispute that it’s “true”. I don’t dispute that it’s “false”.
Just as you can claim that a chosen few are “receiving returns”, I am at perfect liberty to claim that no-one is receiving them. No-one is the wiser because neither of us can provide factual documentation stating which is correct.
I still believe that no-one has received a return, and will remain so until I see documentary evidence to prove otherwise.
If as claimed investors were getting returns and if as claimed by Dave Ames the resorts have yet to break even, where was the money coming from to pay the returns ?
Surely the returns were not being paid on the back of new property sales?
Where was the money coming from to pay the investor interest payments for instance ?
The returns were paid from funds paid through the normal course of business and from the personal funds of Dave Ames.
The interest payments were made from the Ames family personal funds, they initially purchased the land with their own funds then as they registered the land in the various companies names the took the funds back out, nothing remotely illegal with that, but instead of Dave and Carol taking their own money out for good which was their God given right, they used this cash to pay the investors mortgage interest.
As for the value of the assets, these are worth in excess of 500 Million, so to state that investors contracts are worth a pound is ridiculous.
I hear that Dave walked on the water down at BB, just before he paid last months returns and interest payments to his beloved investors.People looking on said “Jesus!”…he waved, and said, “no. its me, Dave”
So how much money did the twice bankrupted Dave Ames put into this business venture, and do not include any of the 400 million taken from us .
I imagine the interest payments must have been tens of millions.
I am sure there are easy explanations for a couple of slight inconsistencies in earlier comments:
Inconsistency No 1
Anon – November 17, 2014 at 7:56 pm
“The reviewer says that the value of the bills were ridiculous quoting $70 for sandwich, coffee and cake twice.”
Anonymous – November 17, 2014 at 2:40 am
“The cost of food and drink at the resort is also below £10 per person per day”
Both comments are surely consistent..
Inconsistency No 2
Anonymous – November 17, 2014 at 2:40 am
“…remember over 100 units are available to investors to complete on”
Anonymous – November 17, 2014 at 5:56 pm
“…Ames has 242 units opened at Buccament Bay”
Of course 242 is a greater number that 100, so the two comments are not at odds but why the discrepancy in numbers; if there are 242 units “available” why are they not “available” to complete on?
Hi Dave
I thought i would just raise one issue with you. That is you would never accept that investors did have rights and could not be bullied and would group together against you.
I am glad to hear harlequin’s assets exceed their debts by about 500 million, so sell the assets, and return our deposits, and I hope you are not expecting an interest free loan for the 8 years you have held my money.
UPDATE
Dave has just phoned and we had a long conversation regarding the way forward.
Unfortunately i had to inform him that he is a lying rat and a bully.
Dave – I will phone you later.
Dave- We met up last week for lunch and you confirmed that you are a crook.
Dave- I will be back later.
Dave – How are those CRAP lawyers who work for you?
Are they in a little bit of trouble and might not be lawyers for too much longer?
Dave- The latest Harlequin news is that you are heading back to Thailand
where all this started.
Your lawyers will be going with you because they will be unemployable in the UK.
Dave – How many investors in YOUR TRUST know that you have a mental health issue that you are a compulsive liar.
@Anonymous 11:35pm
Please can you itemise the “500 Million” in assets? Would that be sterling, dollars, or monopoly money?
“The interest payments were made from the Ames family personal funds” – so why did mother, sons & daughter take out substantial money from the business as “directors loans”? Can you itemise how much of “their own money” they put into the projects and interest payments?
The bile you produced is the core of the fraud actually. Investors were duped to think the people running the show were legitimate businesspeople, not crooks. You ask how this was achieved? Simple…. Invent hyperbole which obviously is not true, tell it to as many people as you can find, bully others who see through the charade with the legal system. Result? Lots of otherwise logical people suckered, mainly by irresponsible agents (where were they getting their info?), into a scheme which is now showing its true colours.
I don’t dismiss your “valuation” as incorrect (it’s your opinion). Without proof, I’m quick to defend my own judgement, which is that “Harlequin” is worth nothing more than what someone will pick up BB, Blu & the few parcels of land at auction, perhaps $30m at a stretch.
Dave- I think I’ve lost the plot. I need help.
@Jon Bon Jovi, what does it matter. You would not believe anybody until you have seen documentary proof. So you will just keep going round in circles.
@Anonymous
It doesn’t matter.
I don’t care what you think or say to be honest. I care about getting my money back, and consequently am interested in facts. If you’re happy to use hearsay, rhetoric and hype as a basis for sound judgement, then I pity you. If you give me your details, I’ll send through some stock options which are going to “shoot in valuation” over the next couple of days. Don’t worry, I’ve got “friends” who know what’s going down… it’s cool, they’ve all got “500 million in assets” so even if the “investment” tanks, you’ll still have that to rely on. Even the FCA can’t touch them.
Give me a break. Real investments give you financial data, IP information, asset breakdowns and strategy. I’m yet to see how much money Harlequin has even taken in, yet alone where they hope to get the next funding.
@ Pink panther impersonator 18/11/14 10.35
You wish i had but i am very much on the Harlequin case.
Well Pink Panther, when you met Dave for lunch last week I hope you paid. I would not like to think that Dave was spending investors money on a sandwich.
I doubt he would have as he would have had something to show for it 🙂
Investors – If you want your money back you have to fight for it.
Dave Ames, champion of the working man, makes it possible for people that do have hundred’s of thousands , to own a piece of the caribbean, and they cannot even repay his kindness….. by investing hundreds of thousands.
some real gems from the GV,”It’s not about one person making the money”, “we do not have a penny of debt at buccament bay” ( I am not sure the 6000 investors that ‘gave’ you £400 million would agree )” we are rewriting how business is done”,
I’m looking at keeping some funds from prying eyes, any one interested in buying property with my cash in their name subject to a little sideline agreement? Excellent remuneration for your troubles. PM me. Tried and trusted method used in the past.
Simon, Andy, Daniel it ain’t worth it brothers, it just ain’t. No way does crime pay.
Again I ask, what is the current value of investor’s contracts on the open market ?. What will prospective purchasers pay for a void contract , on a development in most circumstances does not exist, managed by a company with harlequin’s reputation.
Sipp investments were valued at a £1, why should investors that financed the deposit’s with a loan or life savings, believe their contracts would have more value on the open market.
Harlequin can settle this debate easily, advertise the contracts, and see what the market is willing to pay.
I do not remember the trust offering members the share of 500 million of assets, and it failed to address the issue of contracts offering investors no security.
Oh dear thanks to the accounts of James Baker and a heads up from Andy Smith, David Campion MD of Argos and Harlequin Developments and or HD Studio, seems to have been doing someone else’s laundry. Either that or Jim Baker is a raving loon. Looks like Campion is doing a lot of crawling in the Caribbean too,
Where watching this space with interest, we wonder how the little whine bag will talk his way out of this one, 😜😜😜😜😜😄😄😄
Goodness me this has all got too boring for words. The best plan is to leave the Ames family to it, they have managed to get it so wrong when they had money; what makes anyone think they can fix it now?
I’am amazed with all these people claiming to know this and that, Harlequin is still limping along.
All quiet Thank God, but I disagree with the point of letting sleeping dogs lie where potential wrong doing has taken place. The voices of the people need to be heard until such time as action or explanations are forthcoming. But we should vent our anger and frustration in a manner which befits us ordinary decent folk, and not allow ourselves to be sucked in to the bile produced by some on here in the past.
Yes thankfully the anti HP trolls have crawled away into the night. Now we can have an adult discussion on all things HP.
@ Anonymous 4.08 pm, what are views on the winding up petition by HMRC on ASOL, and what are your views on the ongoing SFO / Essex police investigation into Harlequin, ? Do you think that the ongoing investigation has any merit? And do you think it is an impediment to Harlequin being in a position to raise potential finance?
@x is that a kiss you have just blown anonymous 4.08?
@hmrc.
Yes they have been wound up
The investigations are ongoing
No
No
@ Anonymous 4.44 pm don’t you think that it was a little odd that HMRC petitioned to have a company wound up that had already entered a shareholders voluntary liquidation, does this not suggest that HMRC might be seeking to control the liquidation?
You state that the SFO / Essex Police investigation has no merit, can you elaborate on why you feel this is the case ? Surely if the SFO Essex police saw no merit in the investigation the investigation would have been concluded at this stage, would it not ?
Given that Mr. Ames and the Harlequin companies have a number of judgments registered against them in the Caribbean, coupled with the SFO and Essex Police investigations, and whilst you state that the Police investigations will not impact any potential financiers view of Harlequin, can you explain your thought process on why you think Harlequin will obtain finance and why moreover with such a huge debt burden over the companies ( the investor contracts) and the judgments, why is it you think Harlequin might be an attractive proposition for any financier ?
What about the shitload of stat demands recently files against Dave’s beloved BBR.
HMRC would be the largest creditor, if they get into Ames’s ‘As Hol’
Ames will have a little bit of a problem lol
All roads lead to the £200million of unpaid tax 😉
@HMRC
The SFO investigation certainly has merit. 6000 investors didn’t get suckered into a scheme without finance, legal protection or asset protection for nothing. They were fraudulently sold products which either didn’t exist (still don’t exist), or were seriously mislead.
Before his holiness “anonymous @4:44pm” comes up with the now stale “500 million assets” blah blah blah, let me tell you the underlying truth.
If the chairman of Harlequin property did not sanction the selling practices of the “agents”, he is as much to blame than them. I was told on numerous occasions by my “agent” about having “over $200m of assets in the Caribbean”, how the chairman of Harlequin is a “renowned businessman”. The reality is somewhat different, as has been vehemently uncovered by RL.
The “$200m of assets” (now $500m apparently) are so because of a “valuation” performed by some company on Buccament Bay. A “valuation” is just that, an approximation of the asking price. We should also note this “valuation” is for the entire completed Buccament Bay, not the decaying tourist village we have today. I have yet to see any concrete evidence of the “value” of the Harlequin assets. Indeed, if we’re to believe James Baker’s assessment under oath in court, the whole stinking lot is insolvent. Not my words anonymous 4:44pm…. they’re James Baker’s.
The “serious fraud office” does not get involved in micky mouse jobs. You have to present a serious case as to why they should spend tax payer’s money (and their reputation) on a case. Harlequin is most certainly one.
The only impediment to Harlequin raising finance is the scheme itself.
Here’s how the “finance” is going to be raised. I hope you packed lube, because the investors are going to get shafted right and proper….
1. The “hotel management company” which chairman has been talking about is going to earn money from management contracts. This means anyone who completes is going to owe this company a cheque every year.
That’s why this hotel management company is prepared to pay Harlequin the proposed $5m a year (or whatever the number was).
This might not sound bad, but believe me it is. The reason why it’s bad is very simple. So far, Harlequin have blown £440m on a few huts and glossy brochures. They have absolute no scruples as to the hideous financial positions they’re leaving their victims, and will be in a position to “recommend” a hotel management company to look after your hut.
Do you really think you’ll be able to trust this management company? After all, your hut can’t move, so you’re stuck with whoever “Harlequin” tell you to use. And what if they choose to raise prices? You’ve got to pay…. just like the SIPP companies.
2. The “finance” the chairman has been talking about is a mortgage arrangement for investors. If Harlequin can sucker investors into raising mortgages (IE the remaining 70% of the purchase price), Harlequin has a huge lever to work with in terms of construction finance. This, by the way, is another question. How are Harlequin going to raise construction money and help victims with finance? I don’t know…
Every contract to Harlequin is only for the 30% “deposit”. This means that in order to even sniff a “return”, you’re going to have to cough up double what you already laid down. How you’re going to do that is through a mortgage, either recommended or brokered by Harlequin.
Now, Harlequin suckered victims into the scheme by promising “virtual” or “guaranteed” mortgages (with no underwriter). Contrary to the promises, the contracts just state that “the company” will “endeavour” to help raise the capital. In other words, the responsibility is that of the victim to raise the money themselves (misselling).
Harlequin has every right to pursue victims through the courts (in St Vincent) for this money, as they did not legally promise to underwrite the “virtual mortgage”. Therefore, investors are the ones who the chairman will be trying to get to burden with finance.
Ever wonder why Harlequin has not published any information on how they hope to “raise finance”? After all, “finance” is a very broad term. Maybe they’ll mortgage their own land. More than likely, they’re trying to find the best way to shaft investors even more (isn’t that right “investors owe ‘Dave’ $1.6bn” anonymous 4:44pm?)
… and therein lies why it is a scam. Innocent middle-income earners cajoled into a scheme which, frankly, is too risky for them. If they could afford the huts outright, it would be a different storEy.
As it stands, the victims are going to be taken to the cleaners. Face the facts people. Harlequin is evil and the people who run have absolutely no morals. They’ll piss on your mother’s grave given the chance.
No anti HP trolling for 11/2 hours. Just could not help yourselves could you.
I suppose the latest poster might care to answer the questions posed to Anonymous 4.44 pm, I don’t consider this an Anti Harlequin post.
@ Anonymous 4.44 pm don’t you think that it was a little odd that HMRC petitioned to have a company wound up that had already entered a shareholders voluntary liquidation, does this not suggest that HMRC might be seeking to control the liquidation?
You state that the SFO / Essex Police investigation has no merit, can you elaborate on why you feel this is the case ? Surely if the SFO Essex police saw no merit in the investigation the investigation would have been concluded at this stage, would it not ?
Given that Mr. Ames and the Harlequin companies have a number of judgments registered against them in the Caribbean, coupled with the SFO and Essex Police investigations, and whilst you state that the Police investigations will not impact any potential financiers view of Harlequin, can you explain your thought process on why you think Harlequin will obtain finance and why moreover with such a huge debt burden over the companies ( the investor contracts) and the judgments, why is it you think Harlequin might be an attractive proposition for any financier ?
In summary. THERE IS NO FINANCE.
Once HMRC get a grip of Dave ‘As Hol’ he is in big trouble.
Next step HMSSE
Yesterday (18 Nov) I did a complete 360deg of the HHotel property.
The only evidence of any activity is that the opening date has been
white-washed. Nothing else shows any indication of anyone having
gone within the fence–the lock on the gate and chain have not been
moved, none of the weeds leading to the construction trailer have been
disturbed. The only thing new (to me) was that there is now a public
paved walkway (very nicely done by the way) between the ocean side
and the property fence. This in effect gives HHotel a beach that is
roughly 10-12 feet wide and open to the public. I have photos but
they are no different from the ones SGD posted a week or two ago.
Sic transit gloria
It is still an eyesore..should be torn down.The govt does that to derelict buildings every day…and this is one derelict building!
Bet this job is not featured on Argo`s website.
It is! Talk about big balls….
http://argo-ds.com/#
Wonder how much of the US$28 million for H Hotel was spent to achieve the eyesore that it is today?Great job Mr Campion, you should be real proud of this project.
Apart from the commissions leak regarding agents; shorty is claiming with such veracity he had no control regarding what was misrepresented to clients. He did not sell Harlequin.
#Hung out to dry.
“Every contract to Harlequin is only for the 30% “deposit”. This means that in order to even sniff a “return”, you’re going to have to cough up double what you already laid down.”
BS Bob was “sniffing” his return years ago, even though he didn’t and probably still doesn’t have a title. He even drove the RL’s offices to collect his £100 for proving it. Why was Bob’s contract so special? Why did BS Bob get paid 10% and where was that money coming from? Apparently BB was making losses, and HP had no other source of “income” except for new investor deposits. Why did Bob get paid?
Bobbit’s into a box of wine again.
Bobit must need some new tires by now, time to go down RL’s office waving your ‘return’ documentation. $100 must get you guys a few boxes of wine!!
Hey, Bobit where’s you odd buddy Ingham? The other fag who loves abusing women.
All sing together “we’re trolling along on the crest of a wave” $? Shouldn’t you be a school with all the other children.
Should you not be getting your return Bob?
You poor old fool Bob, you actually think Ames will look after you….
A few weeks ago an investor claimed ” that he could not be beaten”
What a strange statement that was.
Yeah right.
Dave Ames can beat the police, SFO, HMSC, well, everyone and anyone 😉
This little group will join forces and smash him into pieces along with his hangers on. HMRC have launched an investigation into agents pay – how do I know? My agent is being investigated…
This is fact.
What is Ames doing now? Playing the big shot, twice bankrupt, double glazing salesman?
10.28, yes it would be play time at school. Now sonny Jim go back to your Janet and John book, which is about as close as you will get to reality. I bet you will quite tired today, you poor mite, tossing and turning last night in your kiddie bed, worrying about me and my financials. Bless.
BobbieBS thinks he’s the Pope again!
Maybe he is. He is known for blowing smoke after all hahaloletc
Where has Ralph got to these days ? Does anyone know how to contact him ?
We are here.
Have a word with Dave, he knows who Ralph is/are.
We do hope Dave and Carol know who we are, and anyway big deal.
Exactly you are not a “big deal” anymore.
I wonder if Carol has packed up her cherished collection of Capodimonte figurines.
U don’ t want the Receiver or Mr Taxman to get their hands on that do you Carol?
@ thee taxmen cometh
With such an in-depth knowledge of Mrs Ames ways, how do you think the old hag will be taking this?
The truth is Ames is not a ‘big deal’
Very soon all will be revealed, the Ames family and the ones who have been allowing this disgrace to prosper will be taken to task.
Be worried.
Weren’t we all supposed to be afraid of last Monday. Has the Armageddon date moved? Give it up Ralph/paddy. We are all bored with the “all will be revealed soon”
Okay, here’s a snippet.
HMRC have all the agents details, they will be investigated.
There seem to have been some rather odd methods of payment going on by Harlequin and agents, very odd. They all sort of go round and round, like a merry go round, if you will. Co mingled lets call it.
SRA are involved.
HMRC are going to be the biggest creditor of HMSSE, look into that as much as you wish.
Oh yes and things are hotting up in SVG
Yep temp due to hit 31 on Monday but quite a bit of rain around.
Not as hot as it is in prison, any news on Matt ?
Mummy and Daddy to join him lol
STATUTORY DEMANDS could be flavour of the month.
TIP- Use a quality legal firm.
Dick, poor Dick, what sort of dick apparently invests £200k when their mortgaged house is only worth £200k
And it’s cash…… given to Ames.
If only it were true. That would be funny 😉
Has Dave told you to start posting again- be a good Dick.
Like night flows day, when ever there is something going on the pro Harlequin filth come out and try to derail the thread. Clearly someone is rattled.
HMRC making you loose sleep?
Nubricks .com is today offering investment in a 58 room boutique hotel on Barbados South Coast . Beach frontage. CASH only from US $160000. Sounds like H hotel to me . This is a MOST interesting development if it indeed is H. The sales pitch sounds very similar to harlequin offers and the CGI pages are very slick and inviting. US$9 million , not bad if Investors buy into this .
No..the property offered by Nubricks is Silverpoint Hotel, Silversands, Barbados.
An interesting feature on page 3 of Barbados TODAY about eyesore hotels on Bim that includes Harlequin of course
http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?PBID=87ad6005-1972-4d63-92b0-8927eda53c7a
I am sorry to repeat myself.
STATUTORY DEMANDS could be flavour of the month.
TIP -Use a quality legal firm.
NDA might kick in shortly.
HARLEQUIN – I am waiting for you to attack me.
The pros are showing their true colors by being vile again. Only goes to show they’re rattled. If they were laid back about all this then they wouldn’t be provoked to make such disgusting comments. Cornered rabid dog syndrome again I’m afraid.
I will personally make sure that you have an extended tariff
of 5 years on top of your sentence.You should learn to play with the adults.
@XXXXXL and Mirror
@DFW if you are going to be the spelling police (yawn) why do you think that You’re should have a capital letter if it is in the middle of a sentence? Now that’s basic stuff. Hahaha
I forgot to mention, the two clowns{ lawyers } that you have down there. They might represent you for a reduced fee. You would have a problem as they will not be lawyers THEN.
My next post will move on to DA.
XXXXXL AND OTHERS
Anonymous 12.25pm – yes your right, and whats even better is that your investment is paying me to do it!
When Dave’s at BBay the mice will play!
Anon – of course I do but you don’t!
David Ames is a CROOK.
David Ames is a LIAR.
David Ames is a BULLY especially to women.
David Ames is hand in hand with a CARIBBEAN PRIMEMINISTER. Money has changed hands.I will name him in the next post.
BFP IS WATCHED IN THE CARIBBEAN.
@ To Harlequin.
I am sorry to repeat myself again.
STATUTORY DEMANDS could be flavour of the month.
TIP – Use a quality legal firm.
This post will be reposted ever hour if necessary.
Harlequin H hotel one of the eyesores highlighted in Barbados Today Article.
http://html5.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/default.aspx?pubname=Barbados%20TODAY%20News&pubid=87ad6005-1972-4d63-92b0-8927eda53c7a
Someone said Dave Ames is gone to Buccament Bay to meet someone, as if this is really fantastic news, perhaps he is meeting with the management company who have undertaken to lease Buccament Bay from him, perhaps he is gone on holidays, it is really immaterial why he is there, meanwhile back in the UK close to 6,000 investors are wondering what the hell is going on and most importantly where and when are they going to see action being taken over their missing millions.
And back to HMRC, the petition to wind up ASOL succeeded, I am led to believe that a similar petition is due before the courts with respect to HMSSE in the next week or so.
Just mention to DA that the stat demands have been served in SVG as he said they can’t be served the UK 😉
Well pink fanny. That’s shut you up.
TIP use a law firm that knows what it’s doing.💰😅
Served in svg by RL?
Anyone have any facts to share?
If it’s facts you’re after….you’re in the wrong place !
Yup
Matt Ames has applied for early release and is hoping to be released in time for Christmas, the move is as a result of the UK’s government position on allowing prisoners to be released on licence and subject to a tag after 25 % of their sentence has been carried out. Dave Ames father of Matt Ames has petitioned the court, asking the courts permission to allow Matt Ames travel to St. Vincent where he will be employed by the family business at the Buccament Bay Resort under the direct supervision of his father. A decision on the issue is expected to be made in the next few weeks.
Anonymous
November 21, 2014 at 6:34 pm
that looks like very old news
proof please
No wonder he applied to go into bankruptcy knowing he was being released, so now Matt will return to Buccament Bay to ensure luxury is redefined, I’m sure anything is more luxurious then his prison cell.
It seems that is the policy of the UK government alright, Andy Coulson was released today under a similar arrangement.
@ anonymous 6.34pm
Well nothing about the British justice system would surprise me. At least if he gets his £10k per month job then all those people he defrauded can be paid back just as he promised. It will be good to track those repayments to see if he is true to his word. We are often told how honest the Ames family is and how they want to work transparently with their investors. Here is a golden opportunity to show this to the world.
Looks like someone upset Ingham with his usual vile posts, to think that slob has a daughter, such a worry.
You must have been up North ?
I’m not Eric, I just made a comment about a trip, that’s all. I don’t know some people!!
It is a funny old world.
A group of clients were under a court order not to divulge any details of a court action for over 12 months. The court order ends and another action begins, but nothing is mentioned by the clients to others although there is no order in place.
I am an American. I cannot understand the British class system.
My God !!! You people have lost an amazing amount of money.
Just what the hell has Erica done to be implicated in that. Leave the
poor woman and her family alone. I recently flew to BGI. My seat
partner was a Bajan lawyer based in Washington DC. and on his way to
SVG. Don’t ever forget that the US swooped down on Grenada and
did away with the New Jewel Movement. Something similar seems to
be occurring in SVG……..
On behalf of all right-thinking British people I apologise for the existence of people like the previous poster. It is sadly true that the UK has it’s share of inward-looking, xenophobic people of low intelligence. They exist the world over and we are not immune. They usually call for the repatriation of people unlike themselves but, in truth, they are an embarrassment and shame the good people of the UK.
We’ve been round this loop before. Lots of people seem to be angry that one family was not prepared to sit back and be silent while their savings were ransacked for no return. When that family had the audacity to ask for what was contractually theirs then posters on this site and elsewhere wrote the most vile abuse that showed their minds were more depraved than any decent person could imagine. Truly sad individuals who are bitter to the core of their souls. They then hatched the ridiculous plan to pretend that the family had posted the vile comments themseles but nobody was convinced then and nobody is now.
Anon 7.07 what gives you the right to apologise for anyone. Erica brought everything upon herself. She set up a blog and then banned anyone who posted something different to the chosen one. She is a nasty piece of stuff and gets everything she deserves. Even Fatchett thinks she is a head case.
@pink fanny. Nothing is mentioned because GF has dropped a huge bollock. And who pays when this happens, why the clients of course. In fact ask RL how much money they have won back for their disciples? Not only this case but all the previous ones. Cyprus for instance.
I was just thinking, can we ask Ames how much his investors have received due to his great visionary style?
Ames and his cohorts have no idea whats going on. We like that.
They have instructed whatsthefuss aka Richard Ingham to try to wind people up, so things will slip out, in anger.
It won’t happen, but the end of Harlequin and the associated sycophants will be taken to task.
As sure as night follows day.
Have a nice day Richard 😉
Glad to see the rubbish has been removed.
Meanwhile, still no finance.
So, ingham and storey have been intimidated/upset/stalked by Erica, Strangely, I couldnt give a *****, what bothers me is Dave Ames is still a free man, after he cheated 6000 investors out of their pensions and life savings, and then pissed it up the wall.
I guess that must make me a HP troll.
Re Matt
NBarclay?
and that helicopter in where was it? Hong Kong?
Taiwan? Can’t quite remember…
or maybe Dubai
Urr nah it was
Matt slammed up in prison still, going bankrupt to wipe out his debts and Amanda wifey divorcing him.
OK no facts- anything relevant ?
@call me cynical, yes you are cynical.
Yes, HMRC will bring Harlequin down. then the SFO will lock up the perpetrators.
We hope Angela. Not been too dynamic so far have they!
Angela, I have never professed to be aware of what’s happening at Harlequin, but you are not aware either. I haven’t spoken with DA for several weeks, maybe a month, or more, I’m weary of the whole thing and tired of talking about it.
I can assure you that I am not the antagonist on here and haven’t been posting, and to be clear DA has never asked me to post on here – why would he? Anybody can post anonymously themselves.
As for Erica upsetting or intimidating, again I have never said this, it was her that reported me to the police. Rather than upsetting me I just feel sorry for her. Imagine the police telling you that you were a ill, deluded and a time waster. she probably now thinks the police are involved in this great conspiracy theory.
Has anyone got anything to say thet may help investors? All investors! From what I see SIPP investors are making progress with some favourable ajudications under belts. Don’t know where the cash people stand.
Motley Fool – if your a cash investor get title on a property! At least you own something,
It will be interesting to see how the authorities deal with sick ,deluded time wasters.
How is the pill popping Mrs Ames ? , cant be easy, knowing her husband has brought so much misery to so many?, Perhaps her mood will improve, when the SFO finally lock up her deluded husband, bit of company for Matt aswell
I wonder who is posting as whatthefuss ?, we know the original has an impenetrable ip ban.
Thank you anon but i doubt thats worth much. And no way I’d hand over more money.
sorry, meant to say, cant be easy, knowing Carol and her husband have brought so much misery to so many.
@llHPT, yes people like Ralph etc will get theirs at some point.
I am not sure sure who ralph is, but when you say, will get theirs at some point, I guess you are not talking about a return on their investment.
Ralph would have to be an investor to get a return. Many people know who Ralph is.
I am not sure ‘investors’ best describes Harlequins clients, Victims would be more suitable.
I’m not sure clients is apt either- fools, I’m one is better.
Motley Fool, write it off, put it down to experience and move on with your life.
Otherwise it will send you nutty like you know who!
Latest TA review of BB..somehow this does not sound like a Five Star resort…at all. To be fair I am copying the entire review, not just the bad points.
FROM DAVE 1609
“Lovely Complex but needs a tweek here and there!!”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed yesterday NEW
Travelled as 2 couples and this is a lovely complex and as we arrived for our 2nd visit and received a cooling cocktail as before, the hotel had suffered a severe flooding the previous year and what used to be the main restaurant is no longer usable. The Bay is now the main restaurant and you do have to book your preferred time slot at the reception as you do with all of the restaurants, you should book as early and in advance as you can get the very early or very late time slots for your meals. The reception staff will do all they can to get your preferred time but you may have to be a little bit flexible with this.
The staff in the Bay could not do enough for you and were very attentive especially Naiesha behind the bar (forgive my spelling) and Brod who have both been there since the complex opened in 2010 and they both go the extra mile to make sure you get exactly what you require and Curt for making the most delicious smoothies at breakfast and Brod will make sure you get enough pots of tea to keep you going through the buffet breakfast.
The restaurant though does definitely need some drop down weather proof covers as when it rains which is obviously frequent in their rainy season the floors flood very quickly and this is very dangerous not only for the guest but also to the poor staff who have to try and bring your food whilst paddling though large puddles of water. I am surprised there hasn’t already been an accident before as I am fairly fit person but had to watch my step once it had rained. The food served in the Bay was very good and there are plenty of choice each night and nothing has a surcharge not even the steaks which were always cooked to perfection.
The newest restaurant Jacks also serves well-presented very nice meals and the steaks were also really well cooked although they do regularly seem to have run out of something we found something was not available each time we booked to go to Jacks. One thing that we found annoying was the background music in Jacks is very loud and we found it very difficult to have any sort of conversation and it needs to be turned down a few notches. The other restaurant is the Safran which serves Indian food which we found the food a bit bland and lacking the normal spiciness that you would expect from an Indian restaurant, the poppadum’s were served with no chutneys or sauces and we thought that the ambience of the whole restaurant was lacking in something and it definitely needs a revamp. The HQ is superb and the staff always have a smile on their faces and are pleased to look after you and your coffee cake or ice creams are all served with a smile.
The rooms are fantastic and always kept clean and you have a different character every day made out of towels and whilst you are out in the evening your bed is turned down and quite often you are left a drink (water) and some fudge on your bedside cabinet for when you return at the end of the evening (nice touch). The air conditioning and fan are both quite noisy in your room and I did turn the fan off most nights and a couple of nights I turned off the air conditioning as well nice and quiet but it did get a bit warm! Our splash pool outside our room was never working as it should and was half empty most of the time and quite dirty, it was filled up once but it was half empty again next day and we never bothered with it after that. The lower pool was empty when we arrived and it was being jet washed and broken tiles replaced but apart from a bit of noise and only having one pool for 3 days until the pool was refilled it did not cause us too much inconvenience.
The pool staff are all lovely and so helpful and nothing is too much trouble for them and they really look after you well, I can’t remember all of their names but Vadol deserves a special mention as he was very very helpful and would do everything and more to keep you supplied with drinks towels ect, they do run out of towels quite often and also sun bed covers so make sure you get yours earlyish in the morning and the limited amount of pool umbrellas are sought after and if you are going in for a swim make sure you have something hanging under or on the umbrella as when we popped into the sea for a swim ours was taken by a delightful couple who had commandeered 3 of them to keep themselves in the shade, why you would come to a hot country and sit under 3 umbrellas for most of the day is beyond me!! The umbrellas you have or are supposed to have in your room are also not very evenly distributed as we were a group of 4 and had not one between us whereas the 4 people on the table next to us had one each and if you have one do keep it close or they will disappear.
Over all a lovely place to visit and the good definitely out ways the negatives. I would definitely come back again in the future and hopefully by then the new runway would be completed and this would negate the short flight over from Barbados which is ok in its self but does make your day of travelling that much longer and the hassle of going through immigration at Barbados collecting your bags and then through customs to then having to check in for the Liat flight and going through the process all over again. Still a lovely place to stay and I would like to return soon.
Stayed November 2014, traveled as a couple
Ta Anonymous but at this stage I have no need to. Don’t like to say too much here after looking back at some of the posts. But I will say- no I don’t have some secret plan or deal. I do have a sensible angle on my quite strong position. But whatever I’ll be keeping a watch. Vindictive you see, and luckily able to stand the hit if eventualy forced to, unlike some poor sods who really did go way over the top remortgaging and gosh knows what! I’ve made mistakes before for sure but first time I’ve really slacked on DG and instinct- due to an overtrust (outside Ames). And I intend to see pay back- at the top.
Motley Fool,if your a cash investor and have a plan, then get on with it, especially if you have more course through an agent.
If your planning playing dirty with Ames then be careful, many have tried and failed and he has the funds that interest criminals in resolving matters avoiding the normal routes
Should have read – no recourse through an agent, apologies it’s iphone spell check!
“Motley Fool, write it off, put it down to experience and move on with your life.” – very wise advice indeed.
As a SIPP investor, I am thankful, but still very weary of the process. I am fully signed up with RL.
For cash investors, you’ll be best getting on with your lives again. Even if Harlequin score “finance”, they’ll not be able to handle it. The management of that vile company will have the authorities to deal with very soon.
“Fully signed up with RL” muppet. 😊😊😊😊😊
If any investors do receive a refund payment, maybe they would consider a small donation to support the Ebola outbreak. There are several orgs including :
Doctors without borders.
Bob Geldoff and Band Aid
I guess we all need a little help sometime.
“Fully signed up with RL” muppet. – haha yeah but whatcha gonna do sucka. At least I stand a chance of getting money back 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
You assume I have money that could be lost. Haha. Not everyone is a sucka, sucka.😇😇😇😇😇
Anonymous 10:29, aww bless it’s a shame, you too embarrassed to admit you have been conned and feel silly?
We have all been through that stage!
EB
Interesting entry on i-witness-new svg about ground shifting on the
outer perimeter of the new Argyle Airport in SVG. Wonder what
would happen under the weight of a jumbo-jet.
Boom!
The cracks in the ground and along the main road near the control tower by the perimeter of Argyle are likely caused by the amount of earth that has been removed and recent rain making the slope above the earthworks unstable. This is potentially serious as telecommunications water pipes and electricity cables need to be moved. Let’s pray we don’t see another storm like the one last Christmas. On a further note if you look on the vid on I Witness News Facebook page you will be just how ‘advanced’ the airport looks. I cannot foresee it being open this December except may be for a fly past by the GV in his ageing Harlequin Air crate and Uncle posing for some pre-election photo opps.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-Witness-News/277092882588?fref=ts
“Aww bless” is this a religious site now? Not everyone who posts on here has potentially lost money. I don’t feel silly, in fact rather smug.☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️
Speaking of religious things, what become of the unregulated ‘God squad’, Halkham Compensation.
Really, to go with them is real dumb. Not for profits my bottom.
Watch out Ralph Gonzales.
The sucka who sucks, yes of course you haven’t lost anything, this site is full of people with no financial interest, they come here because it’s such an interesting read – not.
Keep denying the facts because your embarrassed if it helps your healing!
Aww bless its a shame!
Perhaps we come here because we have a financial interest in the
economy of the islands and are concerned with the disastrous
effect that the Harlequin mess is having. This may be hard to take
but to a great degree it is the investors who acted as enablers.
Anonymous, must be a bit boring and backward on SVG if this shite forum is of interest
@Whosthesucka 1.16pm
There will be a lot of blood on the carpet but none of it will be mine.
Positively – yes of course, because you would know, wouldn’t you!
Know nothing gobshite!
My lord…the Comrade RG is posting !
@BFP.
When I login from home I see many posts over 50 (not many are mine) saying ‘comment awaiting moderation’ but when I login from work all these are not there.
I could understand if all the posts were mine but they are not, many are from whatsthefuss with the usual level of revolution.
But I can read all of them? A glitch?
There is no such word as a glitch.
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. It is often used to describe a transient fault that corrects itself, and is therefore difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, and in circuit bending, as well as among players of video games, although it is applied to all types of systems including human organizations and nature.
Has anyone been able to translate the Cyrillic posts. I’ve tried
alphabetically but only come up with nonsense words.
A glitch is like the banking problem that prevented investors from receiving their payments. It is supposed to be a transient fault, but in this case it appears to be permanent.
Positively – the glitch that stole Christmas.
anonymous 10.32
There is another Christmas coming.
EAHFMD
You have lost.
Positively Wrong 9.43
I did not ask you for an essay i said there is no such word as glitch.
@ anonymous Nov 24 10.08, Twedbems post at 10.32 translates as “BUTTON post absolutely not visible” on google translate. It is slightly different from the one that appeared earlier and was subsequently deleted. I think the previous one said that that the button was not visible on some posts/sometimes not visible on posts.
There was another deleted one from Mole, saying “We have eyes and ears in all camps”
Thanks RM.Hcs,hagoe…….that sure clears that up
anonymous 10.46. Well I’m glad it clears it up you, because it means nothing to me. At the time of writing this post, Twedbems is linked to a Russian site advertising a school of English (language and culture) in Cambridge. Their tour schedule seems to include Stonehenge – the Brits have a long established culture of making human sacrifices to improve the weather … And Winchester, where their celebrated king burnt the cakes …What do those poor kids go home thinking?
Twefbems is getting a bit repetitive. I wonder why post is in smaller font each time? I’m pretty sure the word for button, knopke? also means knob as in radio. And there plenty of those of all sizes in Basildon.
RM It’s spam love ——dont’ even go there or waste a minute of your life on it.
Attack when you are ready.
хорошо
Even Ingham and Bob Storey have given up, only Ames thinks it’s still alive.
Storey’s given up? What’s Putin doing here? Ames built in the Ukraine has he?
Maybe Putin’s the mystery financier?
@Redefining moldicrap. Alfred the Great did not burn the cakes at Winchester. he died at Winchester.You are rubbish at English history.
Sid in Ames world that quite likely- he’ll turn up riding Shergar.
@ It’s spam 2.15. Thanks for the info and advice.
@RS 5.38. I knew a history pedant would put me right. Go on Bobbikins sing your little heart out.
@redefining crapus postus. How many IDs do you have? At least I know the history of Harlequin, you don’t even know the history of your own name.
hA
@ RS 6.25. As many as H’s coat of many colours. Great. A complete and detailed history of Harlequin (including all of Dave’s crepuscular purchases in his own name) is what plenty have been waiting for.
Has anyone got any relevant news, like what is happening with the trust? What is happening with the SDs in SVG? etc?…
If you mean the Ames Trust it will never happen. Best thing may for investors to buy up the ashes when it all goes officially bust. Form a Trust through in independent body.
Won’t be much to buy in trust now the balances have been paid to Ames on the majority of the completed cabanas!
Let us reflect upon the title of this (regularly tedious) thread…
How many companies did Dave Ames register in Barbados?
We could add to that list; and question how many companies did Dave Ames register in other countries too? Many with similar names. Was it intended to obfuscate the creditors, HMRC (UK), The Insolvency Service and lawyers representing the investors?
Countries like:
UK
Ireland
SVG
The Cayman Islands
Dubai
Brazil
Hong Kong
Thailand
Goa
St Lucia
Dom Rep
Jamaica
Australia
Bahamas
Bermuda
Taiwan
Bulgaria
Not forgetting BIM
And North America?
As at today 26 Nov 2014 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) website states that investigation into The Harlequin Group continues.
We have had several reports from worried investors who have recently received information from other sources to suggest that our investigation is now closed. This is not the case. Due to the complex nature of our investigations and the fact that several overseas jurisdictions are included within the scope of those investigations, it is inevitable that delays in the process of gathering information and evidence will be and have been encountered. It is not possible to issue any more detailed information at this time. Once we are able to issue a further update we will do so.
Many thanks to those who have been in touch to register their details with us at this .
Ames will have died of old age before the SFO bring charges, get him to trial and have an appeal.
He will never serve a day inside.
SFO = waste of tax payers money
The SFO are proving to be a waste of time and tax payers money. Two and a half years trying to understand the Harlequin business, amazing that a dumb bankrupt double sales man (according to the anti HP posters) can bamboozle them with such ease.
If the SFO ever get their act together and charge Ames, get the case to court, deal with the appeal Ames will have died of old age.
DA will never serve a day in jail, so stop the excitement!
@Moon fakir 11.00 ahha a reminder that several threads ago there was a suggestion that a company might have been set up for no good reason. Perhaps it may have a use after all.
PS thanks for reminding me of the surrealist alphabet.
you sir-real K-lim-
I don’t think so BS Bob/BWW
HMRC (The UK tax authority) is also now investigating Harlequin and has presented its own petition to wind up this crock of lies and shite company. That will override Harlequin’s own Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation.
I post this information here for the new people who are seeking information on the internet about Harlequin The disgusting obscenities posted by the Harlequin trolls will not detract from the truth that can easily be found in the public domain. Here it is again for those who missed it up thread.
In the High Court of Justice (Chancery Division)
Companies Court No 6835 of 2014
In the Matter of ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES OVERSEAS LIMITED
(Company Number 06904994)
and in the Matter of the Insolvency Act 1986
A Petition to wind up the above-named Company, Registration Number 06904994, of 11 Honywood Business Park, Honywood Road, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3HW, presented on 25 September 2014 by the COMMISSIONERS FOR HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS, of Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4RD, claiming to be Creditors of the Company, will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice, 7 Rolls Buildings, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL, on 10 November 2014, at 1030 hours (or as soon thereafter as the Petition can be heard).
Any persons intending to appear on the hearing of the Petition (whether to support or oppose it) must give notice of intention to do so to the Petitioners or to their Solicitor in accordance with Rule 4.16 by 1600 hours on 7 November 2014.
The Petitioners` Solicitor is the Solicitor to, HM Revenue and Customs, Solicitor`s Office, South West Wing, Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4RD, telephone 020 7438 6920. (Ref SLR1716065/N.)
29 October 2014
Any idea of what occurred on 10 Nov 2014 at the
Royal Courts of Justice………….?
now who could that be? Dr G was keeping shtum about it but no doubt the identity of the company could be found from examining the accounts filed.
Oh, hold on a minute, where are the accounts?
HELLO! Telecommunications company! Read the article you have posted a link to.
@pam le spam/Anon/ etc etc 💤💤💤👎👎👎
New on Holkham, remember the ones Ames was ‘promoting’ the one that promised to leave agents alone?
All,
SCS Farmland / Powerscourt Services Limited / Holkham / Rev Robert van de Weyer
SCS Farmland is an Argentinian Farmland investment. The SCS Farmland investment is administered in the United Kingdom through Powerscourt Services Limited.
The main agent for the sales with SCS Farmland were Tailormade, although there are some other smaller agents involved with the sales.
Most of you will never have heard of Powerscourt Services Limited, but many of you will have heard of Holkham Compensation / Holkham Redress. Holkham Compensation / Holkham Redress are businesses run by the same person who runs Powerscourt Services Limited, the Reverend Robert Van De Weyer.
Holkham has been heavily promoted by Tailormade in the last few months. The fact that the Ministry of Justice are investigating Holkham has not got in the way of another great Tailormade recommendation.
Powerscourt Services Limited run Escrow / Client Account arrangements for investors. You would expect Powerscourt Services Limited to be scrupulous in their client accounting. Paying investor monies to the correct party etc.
We will not set out the factual basis of the litigation, but would comment that on the 13th November 2014, His Honour Judge Purle QC granted a freezing order in case number – A30BM501 – Breckons & Other –v- Powerscourt Services Limited (“Powerscourt”). By consent Powerscourt have agreed to extend the freezing order to trial or further order.
We made the application for 6 investors in this matter. We are now in the process of seeking the other SCS Farmland investors in this matter. We have around 50 others who responded to our original email. We have contacted the SIPP operators who we know have SCS Farmland investors (Guardian / Lifetime and Curtis Banks). We have also contacted SIPP operators who we feel may have SCS Farmland investors.
Shame on him a man of God!!!
OMG!! Traitor Made they told me they were just promoting to help clients, blooming eck, next they will be getting paid by the Great Rev (GR) because he runs Holkham as a none profit organisation.
A true gift from God 😉
Very good news for justice. Thank you RL
Guardian seem to be involved with every dodgy deal going! They’re not the big outfit you think. Little tin pot thing actually. Is Manderfield ne Wooller a shareholder.
redefining ponzi schemes, 6000 investors put in 400 million, and 2 get a return.
Ponzi scheme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation where the operator, an individual or organization, pays returns to its investors from new capital paid to the operators by new investors, rather than from profit earned by the operator. Operators of Ponzi schemes usually entice new investors by offering higher returns than other investments, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent.
Ponzi schemes occasionally begin as legitimate businesses, until the business fails to achieve the returns expected. The business becomes a Ponzi scheme if it then continues under fraudulent terms. Whatever the initial situation, the perpetuation of the high returns requires an ever-increasing flow of money from new investors to sustain the scheme.
By that definition Harlequin has been the tightest Ponzi on
record. Only two returns out of 6000. (That is unless you count
the mortgage payments being made to investors –for a while).
@redefining Ponzi schemes. 😴😴😴😴😴😴
The directors of TM must be twitching…. I feel big problems….
Come on Paddykins, so far today all you have done is circulate old old news. HMRC, the number of companies DA has registered, Holkham (you were a bit slow on that cut and paste) and now Ponzi schemes. Things a tad slow for you today? Ok let’s give you a bit of a hand on this. How did DA meetings go in BB the last week? Perhaps Leaky Mole can help you? But there again we all know that a mole is blind and scurries about in the dark. Go on you know you want to.
Hi Sue I will be in touch
Do not reply on here
Ok I wont
Intelligent move, back door into Harlequin.
@ Sue 9.17
The Problem is coming your way
HP trolls seem a leetle bittie tense tonight
Shall we speculate which one of the Basildon trolls likes titties, slebs and porn sites?
nah zzz
What’s a sleb ?
Short for celebrity?
sleb (plural slebs)
(slightly derogatory) a celebrity.
Someone who wears slutty clothes and acts like a pleb.
A very aggressive stance will be taken from this weekend onwards
Everybody welcome
Traitor Made and ‘The Rev. non profits’ must be worried, especially with the latest news.
Looks to me like dare I say a Ponzi scheme….. now let me think……will the
SFO be looking at all the links here?
Ames promotes Halkham, Traitor Made promote Halkham…. Why?
No possibility of a cover up or a commission split 😉
Why is the HP website still down? How can they claim it is business as usual for them when they don’t even have a presence on the internet? In fact if you google Harlequin Properties all you get are pages of legal firms offering their services to take action against HP and links to negative news articles about them.
You can bet sneaky Bob was involved with Halkham. Sid it must be a glitch 😉 or an internet error?
Sid, your’re so last year – its Harlequin Hotel and Resorts.
I think you’re right @Afoanfp, it’s all the internet’s fault. I expect the internet is owned by an Irish builder.
And thanks for bringing me up to date @Wian… I feel much happier about my investment now :o)
Am I alone in thinking the net ( not the internet 😉 ) is closing on all of these people? There must be some serious worry beads and confessions going on now…..
@ what’s in a name 11:37am
Sid may be “so last year” but at least he’s more up-to-date than the news page on the Harlequin Hotel and Resorts website you refer us to. The last entry is dated 10 April 2012!
By the way, you have to be BS as only he could hedge his bets and say your’re when he means you’re. Good plan though Bob. If you’re not sure if you should use “your” or “you’re” then type “your’re” and at least you know you will be wrong rather than just have the nagging feeling that you might be.
@paddykins/Anon 1.09 you are (you’re) getting an obsession again. It must be play time at school again. Not me haha lol 😇😇😇😇😇😇
Robert
I will be after you on Monday
Robert
Can you make sure that your mate, Ralph is on as well, I wish to bully you
Both at the same time.
I really am so last year, though it’s a pity I’m not so 2007…..just before I invested any money in HP!
I guess that it is a funny old world
How long before the SFO and HMRC tie Halkham, Harlequin and Tailormade into one nice tidy little case?
@ TBP 5.11 And Powerscourt. We shouldn’t want them let off the hook. Not when Powerscourt had already sold stuff that went down the tubes. And I think it was this Powerscourt company that had the Rev and Aidikins as directors, at the time of iffy selling.
Is it me or does there seem to be a general sense of acceptance now amongst investors? Like everyone is just sitting back waiting for the inevitable.
Grow up you big girl 💃💃💃
Anonymous 6.51pm
You sure can,I will let you know
Robert
Do not feel left out, you will be invited
My agent told me Alistair Burn, ex TM director has lost the plot, along with his fancy car, can’t sell his house, can’t pay the mortgage. What a shame.
Where has the money gone?
@ TP 8.48. Sex Parlours?
Yes please
Well according to the agent, Mr Burns has a huge, huge, mortgage, now no income so to speak of unless you call the will writing an income.
Kids at private school, and basically fancied himself as a bit of a flash git…
How the mighty fall……
Richard Ingham is back with his poor spelling and punctuation.
@ MrBthe BC 9.08. Do people really pay him to write their wills? They’d do a better job with a form from Staples. And they wouldn’t have to pay creepy any money.
http://talkingwills.co.uk
TM directors running this, what a joke, now experts in Trusts etc
Imagine it,
Ooops sorry that company is now in liquidation. We can offer a spade. or a box of matches 😉
The GR (Great Rev) will say a few words for nowt.
Talking wills
This idea could be seriously big scam
Looks like Halkham with the SCS farmland is another, and who are best mates with them?
We have a live SD and we are quite happy to wind up Harlequin.
@The Problem, how far along are you in the process? It can take a very long time to complete and I’m sure will be contested by Ames all the way. The SDs that have been raised to date haven’t really been worth the paper they were printed on….though I’m not suggesting yours won’t be successful.
Harlequin you should know by now we will not blink
Sid
We will try
Sid
If we win Harlequin will close next week
That’s interesting. Then I assume Ames knows exactly who you are then?
Shook his hand at Harlequin HQ late 2012
I spoke with DA this morning. He could not be happier. The problem with the Problem is that he has a problem.
Wow a live SD. This is just awesome news. Does Laura Miler know, is it on the front page of the Echo? I’m surprised DC did not include it in his speech at JCB this morning. The world is holding its breath on this news. It’s enough to make Putin pull back from Crimea. In the meantime I think I will take my shelf back to IKEA for a refund.
Poor old TM something got them a bit rattled…….
To all Harlequin Investors
Yet again, in the interest of providing balance, it is unfortunate that we feel compelled to circulate a response to the latest smears from Regulatory Legal and hopefully you will understand the reasons for doing so. Please click HERE to read the response.
Furthermore, in relation to Holkham Compensation, we can now confirm that despite being a relatively new firm, one of Holkham Compensation’s clients has now received a compensation payment in relation to an IFA/Harlequin claim, which is obviously great news for all concerned. However to date, neither us, nor anyone we’ve spoken to has heard of a client of Regulatory Legal achieving the same result. Therefore, we would be very grateful if ANY client of Regulatory Legal who HAS received a compensation payment in relation to an IFA/Harlequin claim, could let us know. Please inform us at info@tm-ai.com
Thank you
TailorMade Alternative Investments
Ermm, they sold Harlequin, they sold SCS, they now promote Halkham don’t need to be a genius to figure the nicker of Halkham just gives all his profits away.
Wow..after that I’m changing my name.
Sid
To avoid any confusion my surname is Freeman.
The SDs should be good enough to stop Harlequin
So now we have more than one SD, quoting SDs as in plural. Just for reference Mr/mrs/ms/Rev etc Freeman, how many SDs in the past have “stopped” Harlequin?
Served in SVG
I wonder how the old bloke from TM is taking all this? Has he still got that flash house?
I hope it’s not through RL. I would count on them getting the date right.
I have said it before and so i will say it again
Ames does not respect investors
In early 2013 this group of investors were committed to having their deposits returned.
Harlequin had not kept to their contract
How big is the group?
Goodbye Harlequin
Sid
It is for the solicitor involved to continue
How about renting the directors of TM shag pad?
http://www.gascoignehalman.co.uk/property-details/502493/cheshire/alderley-edge/broome-house-chelford-road
Sid, it’s the group that recently got bombed out of the UK court and told to go to SVG. They seem to think that RL have got it right this time.
I wonder how you know that Richard?
Capital letter Friday…. they’re….takeaway…. basic stuff Dick.
They’re?? Think you have out simplified yourself there.
I just fancy a bit of Yorkshire pudding.
I was referring to Mrs Ingham lol
I see Mr Shaw the other TailorMade( in liquidation) director was also trying to sell his house.
Must be a bitter pill to swallow, from knocking on doors to living in a posh pad – then having to sell it?
http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/41-whitbarrow-road/lymm/wa13-9aw/32986301
I’m sure the Tailormade directors aren’t exactly living in poverty, don’t they get a 50 percent split of the annual Guardian Sipp fees which are over a million pa?
Do they? Isn’t that dodgy RL ??????
Does Wooller now Manderfield get any commission?
Shaw paid £400k for his house in 2007, so he could trouser a million quid, and yes they do get an override on SIPP fees, that’s why they are so unhappy with RL for trying to stop them.
T Made= nasty scum ?
Dyslexic Fat Worshiper, if you were referring to Mrs Ingham then it’s even worse, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Shes that interested in the Broughtons she doesn’t even know who you are!
Anyway, this is a pointless argument, discussion over.
What’s this about?
Maybe the TM directors are asking the Rev- end for some divine intervention to stop them losing their shag (less) pads.
I believe relations are strained……with there wife’s lol
Oh yeah like the nurse or plumber that just wanted a decent pension. Methinks you are a wannabe, bitter, loser. Tosser
I fail to see how a desire to “strike-it-rich” and prosper can be
called greed. Greed and avariciousness are synonyms and
by that definition David Ames fits the bill. No, Virginia, the
investors were not greedy – those who sold them the investment
were the culprits.
Greedy Investor- I haven’t lost a bean, that’s surmising by an idiot. Nurses and plumbers et al were sold SIPP investment by so-called professionals. As far as they were concerned that was the DD they should have and did carry out. And while were at it so called greed is what drives economies although I doubt you’d be capable of comprehending such. You will have profited from the greed of others- often called entrepreneurs. People that are willing to take risk, provide jobs and better the lives of small minded idiots like yourself. Let me guess, you work all week trying to keep ahead of the credit card bills and HP payments on you naff family car- probably a diesel and suffer from extreme jealousy of those that have their finances under control. Your tormented by two anal iphone uglie’s called children who treat you with contempt. Your an underachiever!! The people in the house you can’t afford, that drive the cars you secretly lust after, drive you secretly insane. In other words your a nobody that expresses opinions out of ignorance and said jealousy. Toodle pip, its sunny in my garden over here and a cold beer awaits.
Rob Shaw has a spaz or mong child……….. God works in mysterious ways.
Mandersfeild has a one armed bandit Kid
Yes we have had this before. Anyone who decries a “loser” in this is a bitter loser themselves. Oh come on. If you are going to quote pension schemes then using nurses is not a good idea. They have a great scheme in the UK. I think “I only ask” is one of our US posters who knows very little about UK pension schemes. 🇺🇸👷
Hardly- I’m a working person sticking up for the nurses and plumbers. Working people aren’t all wannabe ignorant jealous wasters- like greedy investor.
I’m with only ask, I can see a put down of a jealous tosser when I see one.
Dave Ames, your expensive sales brochures were highly misleading. I guess honesty and transparency would have impacted sales :
Dear investor, you greedy bastard
you expect to give us 30% deposit and pay your mortgage, get finance and build 9000 hotel rooms in 5 years, you deserve to lose everything. Only a fool would trust us. As a punishment, we will piss away your life savings, pensions and homes on agents commissions, developers loans , highly risky investments, lining our own pockets and litigation. Long live Robert Maxwell
Please send cheques to one of our highly untrained staff
Harlequin.
Wow. Dave Offered 100% mortgages – you got my vote. Well done 🙂
Whoever you are anonymous, face the facts that Harlequin has been one of the largest scams in history. “Greed” is when agents are paid 8% of gross, not when a victim loses their life savings.
Okay fine suit yourself 🙂 I’m the greediest little piggy in the whole wide world. What difference does it make?
hehehe Hell no! I’m always going to be greedy little piggy. Oink Oink Oink! I’m such a dirty little pig. Sometimes, if you listen closely, you can hear me squeal at night when everyone else is asleep.
I’ve loved every minute of this and am actively seeking the next legitimate investment opportunity I can ruin with my greed & all my greedy friends! We’re like Internet trolls, but for investments. We go around and find investments which we can buy into, and then cry wolf at the slightest sign it will implode, thus causing fear, panic & “ambulance chasers” to ensue.
It’s worked pretty well so far, although I didn’t take much of an active role this time 🙂
Well clever dicks- you can’t read straight text let alone inferred! The lines too narrow for you heh. No wonder you’ve all lost your shirts, those honest individuals apart, the Harlequin people and snake oil investment salesmen deserve all your getting, and then the tax man cometh. Selling your houses to pay HMRC eh! all you deserve. Greedy investor is a wholly reprehensible shit who was probably one of those who prayed on the real working person. When you go to a nurse or a plumber you don’t do in depth DD, you trust in their professional competence. In the case of the nurse it would be hard to even do basic checks. Those reprehensible so called professionals that did nothing more than rip of the working person- take their savings, take some of their houses and indeed some of their lives are just scrapings on the shoes of humanity. Whatever my faults I haven’t killed anyone or taken their home. In fact I think some of the snakes here realise they’re crap and are trying to solve their consciences by attacking honest people on the grounds “they” are greedy and so saying “I’ve done nothing wrong” And you know who you are. To the rest of you, I wish you well and sincerely hope you can get something back.
Even salve heh nasty bastards
If Harlequin does not repay our investment as per our contract,then Harlequin will be liquidated.
NBD anons a weird one but does speak some truth. Ames may be brought down though- with luck, Him and the snake oil salesmen and women.
If Ames does not get taken down, he’ll be taken out.
He’s operated a scam. To the one guy who seems to support him – I challenge you to find merit in anything he has done.
Here’s a definition of “scam” in case you want to defend him some more:
“A fraudulent scheme performed by a dishonest individual, group, or company in an attempt obtain money or something else of value. Scams traditionally resided in confidence tricks, where an individual would misrepresent themselves as someone with skill or authority, i.e. a doctor, lawyer, investor. After the internet became widely used, new forms of scams emerged such as lottery scams, scam baiting, email spoofing, phishing, or request for helps. These are considered to be email fraud. Also see phishing, scheme
Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/scam.html”
Were victims not mislead by glossy brochures with promises such as “buy back within 2 years”, “10% guaranteed returns”?
What about the “contracts”, now defunct (unless you want to enforce them in SVG)?
The land which he doesn’t own?
Previous business failures, which no-one was told about?
Fatchett an “ambulance chaser”?
Finance?
Mortgages?
Brazil?
FSCS “supports” his trust?
Harlequin Air?
Interest payments?
“Banking Error”?
ASOL (why was the name changed)?
HMRC?
Refunds?
Deadlines?
Properties in Dubai?
Director’s Loans?
Panama & Thailand scams?
(Lack of) Accounts?
A “trust” which you can “join by emailing a document signed with your initials”?
Litigation against anyone who spoke out?
SFO?
Blaming everyone else but themselves?
Son in jail for fraud?
Irish Appeal?
I challenge you to read the definition of scam I copied above. Now compare with the list I wrote below.
2 people have, at best, even sniffed a return, so with all of these facts, please enlighten me as to how it’s not a scam, or even how its the victims’ fault for “being too greedy”? And before you even consider calling it bullshit, remember that Ames actively promoted this scheme. He was not an innocent by-stander. He saw the money coming in and counted it. He knew what he was doing.
All in good time, all in good time.
Fatchett “the” ambulance chaser. How about taking £1m in client fees and getting nothing back in returns?
You got the DD, still waiting for Harlequins version.
What could this mean?
Why did the UK administrator of a Farmland investment loan a sipp operator £104,000 a few months ago and then try and write it off?
Why would Rev of the CofE pay investor money to the wrong parties? Millions we understand. Let’s hope FCA, MoJ and the police have a look.
Ah the DD. And what exactly did the RL DD achieve? What have the contributors to the RL athletics fund achieved. Of course getting the investor list from HP so RL could pursue the SIPP claims. Anyone got anything back yet?💸 💸 💸
The SD is power, RL will use it if required
I think you will find RL have a very interesting plan. I also think the people who sold Harlequin and SCS farmland have got bigger things to worry about, maybe from the SFO and other enforcement agencies.
But, hey what do I know. Maybe TailorMade (in liquadation) and under investigation are really the good guys or should that be God guys.
Even if we gave the benefit of the doubt to Harlequin and assume that it was just crashing incompetence rather than a scam that delivered us to this point.
Then if we further extend a generous hand and assume that a financier would overlook this incompetence and all the other criminal investigations taking place. Let’s assume they grant funding to allow the construction to continue.
Who on earth would tender to build anything for Harlequin? Given their proclivity to sue anything capable of being dragged into a courtroom, who would be daft enough to ever contract with them – assuming Harlequin can be bothered to form a contract rather than just say “go and build us something and here’s a big bag of money given to us by investors”!
Even if we assume all this and someone is willing to have their business completely trashed by association, we have to further assume the market for this number of additional resorts and that Harlequin can operate them at a profit.
Does anyone really believe all this could happen?
No – no – and no…
Terrific post @Anon.
The sooner these criminals are sent to jail, the better.
yes it will. yea of little faith. Additional cabannas opened to cater for the upturn in arrivals. Expect additional announcements soon!
There used to be someone posting on here that had excellent
airline industry information. If you still monitor this site would
you answer this question: Deducting the average Caribbean
nationals number, how many seats are available on a weekly basis
on flights landing in SVG. Every time I have flown in to SVG
from Barbados on Liat the VAST MAJORITY of passengers have
been locals.
Happy Independence Day weekend BFP.
Another 40 cabanas completed at BB
I would really, really, really be interested in knowing what construction
company completed them. Or has DA been on island with a hammer,
hoe & wheelbarrow. Who the hell wired them? Caveat emptor…
There were always close to 160 units completed at Buccament Bay, odd how Ames has never clearly stated how many units have actually been completed and opened, Ames stated in 2010 that 60 odd units were completed, but never went on record after that date, so it is anyone’s guess, could be 40-60-80.
And what about Merricks, or H Hotel in Barbados, funny that Ames is claiming to have more units opened at Buccament Bay, sorry meant completed, if he was secretly building apace at Buccament Bay why not crack on with H or Merricks,
because to open them would mean moving the wall between the open units and the not open units, lol, the wall has not moved, nope no siree, and anyone with a camera can take a photo of Buccament Bay from Layou side, and can see from the photo what was open, what is open and what will be open.
And who project managed this “build” at Buccament, not HD Studio, nothing either on Argo website, so couldn’t have been Campion, so who was the mysterious contractor / contractors, not Dinky Balcombe, he is suing Dave, not Andy Smith of Procure It Direct, he gone too, Ken Picknell perhaps? Why not, it’s been over 6 years since Ames gave him the boot, plenty of water under the bridge there now, or is it the company that built the Freedom tower in Newyork, Aecom, the company Ames stated was to be contracted to PM his resorts, or are Krauss Manning back, hmmmmmm who could it be?
All quiet on the Wilkins Kennedy front too, wonder if the are back as project managers, or was the USD 67 million paid and subject of an NDA. ? Or is it the ICE group, or Ridgeview Construction, or TVA Architects, or TVS…………..
Yawn yawn, Ames completed another 40 units, he will say what he wants when he wants, and if challenged on here Ames will sue for defamation, why ? Cause UK defamation law puts the onus on us to prove Ames hasn’t, not on Ames to prove he has.
Very interesting 1st Amendment case before the US Supreme
Court at this moment. It concerns web-site freedom of speech.
My prediction is that when the decision is handed down Ames will
have wasted a few more millions on trying to sue the host company
of this web-site. (Having religiously read BFP for the past three
years I have never seen a post that directly threatens to kill or
have David Ames “liquidated”.
Where did the furniture come from for the newly finished cabanas? They did not even have $30000 to pay Indigo Dive a few months back.Not one supplier in St Vincent will sell them anything unless they pay cash.Locals say they can barely pay wages.
Trip advisor reviews (even the positive ones) talk about shabby covers for the lounges, lack of coffee, deteriorating decks that splinter and injure people, pools that are dirty and not working, and many other things that show a lack of maintenance to the Resort.
This claim of newly added cabanas is highly suspicious. Why it is being said now is anyone`s guess.Does it even make a difference?
@anonymous 10.15. DA is not trying to sue the host company of this web site, he is after the posters. It is the posts from RL for instance which would prove that they have been playing both ends against the middle, or from Paddy etc.
Let me be clear, Ames and co have much more to worry about than people saying a few nasty things about them!
All in good time.
Seeing the bigger picture would appear to be a step too far for you then.🙈🙈🙈
Ames is after the posters?
And what is Ames trying to do ?
Demonstrate to the world at large that he has not lied ?
Demonstrate to the world at large that he is a successful businessman ?
Dave is the butt of most businessmens’ jokes on both sides of the pond, he is not taken seriously, his image is in tatters, and why ? Because he failed to deliver. Simple. He failed to deliver.
Of course it’s RLs fault, or the builders, or anyone elses for that matter, it sure as hell ain’t the fault of Dave, Carol and co. in Dave’s little brain. No we investors apparently must glean comfort from Dave’s rather unhealthy obsession with RL and the builder.
Here’s a question for investors, just to get a measure of the confidence amongst us (and that includes you too Bob); Who thinks that they will eventually see a return in any shape or form from HP?…
Sid, Harlequin will pay some money, in about 10 – 15 years.
The problem people have is they have been scammed by a crook and a gang nitwits who call themselves “salespeople”. The anger is born from the fact that these charlatans are running around with victims’ pension money, splashing on all sorts of luxuries.
How would you like it if this rogue trader was buying property in Dubai, gave his family money through a fraudulent money laundering scheme (HMSSE), promised heaven & earth & didn’t deliver, and then had the audacity to sue his victims for “breach of contract”? That’s exactly how all the Harlequin scam victims feel.
There can only be retribution for this turd. He has caused so much pain and suffering. Someone mentioned they had never read any death threats against him. I’m not the type to write something so obscene (although I’ll happily write what’s on my mind), but I will admit that I may actually have a little party with a cake & candles when he goes. Not worth the oxygen he consumes.
@Anonymous, I am one of those victims and to answer your question I really don’t like it at all!
Anonymous, you pick the worst Tripadvisor review possible and quote it and ignore the better one!
Another 40 cabanas is some progress, all furniture was already purchased and just needed installing.
40 cabanas may well raisise £5 million in completion monies.
Like you said, does it really matter?
No it doesn’t, because he has done it when you said he couldn’t
@Sid Cash or SIPP?
Harlequin, as an investment, will likely yield a return, but it will be way into the future. Hotel revenue is a very long term proposition, and expecting returns within 5 years of a new build is not going to happen, let alone the 2 years some people were promised. I don’t have any experience or reference to back this up.
If you were a betting man, you could take the stance that the HP business is quite robust (if they start constructing again, they are “owed” money from completions). However, there is where the problems lie – most buyers never signed up to put their own security down for a mortgage, and so they won’t be able to provide the capital required to complete. This is conjecture (there are a lot of ways around this, from people “doubling up” on rooms, to renegotiating the contracts to remove the mortgage obligation).
In terms of return values, I have no numbers for Buccament Bay, so cannot speculate on them. I would say, though, that much of the “value” of the investment will be locked in the “land”. This is why HP have not provided accounts – they believe it’s a “capital investment”, in that the investment itself will be rather illiquid. This, again, is against much of what people were sold (“guaranteed returns etc”), and is why the thing is labelled so badly.
I don’t have any experience in how “hotel” investments work. But the most obvious problem is that the “investments” are not worth the paper they’re written on, until the “units” are constructed. This leaves “investors” extremely exposed, especially if a liquidation occurs. The way to solve this would either be to issue shares, or something like a trust.
All of the above assumes the management is sound. And as we know, it is most certainly not. For the several banks I’ve worked for over the past 10 years, none would touch anything less than kosher. With a family member in jail for the exact same problem (selling something he didn’t have, oft referred to as “fraud”), and copious authority bodies examining the business, it will be avoided like the plague.
The best way to proceed, from a finance perspective, would be to get rid of the management – either through a liquidation buyout, or something else. You need mature managers in there, someone you can trust. Before this happens, it will likely stagnate.
Imagine the outcry if someone ( first person) got someone else ( second person) to buy property in Dubai in the name of (second person) but actually for ( first person). Now that would not be illegal, but let’s face it, highly irregular. Just making a hypothetical point. But if you did this and it became known you would probably cover your self off with some kind of NDA. Again hypothetical, of course the (first person) will threaten to sue anyone who may have knowledge of this by (1). Denying this, (2). Stating they were misunderstood, (3). That it was taken out of context.
But all of the above is irrelevant, especially where someone is more interested in pursuing personal vendettas, and demonstrating through the courts through spurious defamation cases that these are people who can be trusted.
Most people who have bought into this are seriously out of pocket, for many it is too late, life is short for most human beings, apparently not for Harlequin though, as they appear to have and want all the time in the world to figure this mess out. I suppose with the advantage of time 10-30 years anything is possible, but for the average Joe time is not a great option.
@anon 10.58 do you think DA will be the butt of business men’s jokes if WK insures cough £30-40m?
@anonymous 12:40pm
Yep.
@Anonymous 12.24pm .I did not pick the worst Trip Advisor review possible. The negative comments came from several different reviews, which highlight the lack of maintenance at the resort.
If only 2 units (as reported) have been completed upon, even though 100 plus have been finished for sometime,and are being used for the hotel`s operation, why would 40 more units make a difference…no one is completing with all the legal issues and the lack of DD.
“He has done it when you said he couldn’t . You must be joking..So there are 160 villas now at BB, out of 1000 or so sold?..Also, where are the villas, resort, pools etc at Merricks? Where is the fantastic resort and Gary Player Golf course in ST Lucia, where are the resorts in the Dominican Republic? Where is the H hotel? …and the other Hotel that was being bought to open in Barbados on the South Coast. However you slice it , this has been to date, the biggest real estate development failure in the Caribbean.
Some think it is poor business management by a twice bankrupt who had no track record in building and operating Hotels and Resorts, and others think the whole thing is a massive scam , where 6000 “investors” have lost their money.(In some cases, life savings, Pensions. homes that were mortgaged, etc)
Only time will tell, and the Authorities in the UK are still investigating.
It remains to be seen if any action will be taken as a result of these ongoing investigations.
My agent tells me all is not well in the Tailormade( in liquidation) camp.
Robert Shaw and Al Burns are in a right panic.
Lay with a dog get flea’s
Anonymous
December 2, 2014 at 12:24 pm
The construction equipment was given away many years ago in lieu of payment because BB couldn’t pay it’s bills even then. The furniture and remaining building materials were sold off at a fire sale several years ago to raise money to pay the running costs of the resort (at a time when even buying a case of Coke was stretching the finances – go and check Trip Advisor for those reviews), which raised the question of unpaid duty as all the furniture and building materials were imported under BB’s duty free concession, and then sold to the public.
Far from just dusting everything off and getting cracking, starting to build again requires repurchasing everything they sold or gave away, and as another commented noted, who would so much as lift a hammer for BB or HP without payment up front? The reason everything was sold in the first place was because the money had run out.
@anon 12.47. I tell you what, if I had £40m in the bank then people can laugh as much as they like. If the case is won and building work restarts then these so called “businessmen” will be first in line for work and contracts.
@anonymous 1:19pm
Will those “contracts” come before or after the victims are paid back?
Let’s not forget HP had £440m “in the bank” over its lifetime and have 100 rotting huts to show for it. Not to mention the puppet master doesn’t “do” contracts, right? 🙂
@Anon 1.29. What will be different is that Paddykins won’t be around to rip him off with his two henchmen. Right? 😜😜😜
I wouldn’t count on it. All the best, I don’t want to play any more.
@Anonymous 12.24pm
The positive reviews which mention the problems listed are all recent and therefore relevant and nearly all of them emphasize that they didn’t mind the problems because they had only paid a very low rate for their holiday. Which is fair enough, BB is building a returning customer base at the lower end of the market. However, how that will generate the income to pay investors if it won’t even cover general small repairs is a puzzle and those low rates are available well into next year. Hardly the luxury end of the market.
Its great for some folks accustomed to drinking wine from a box.
All,
SCS Farmland / Powerscourt Services Limited / Tailormade
We have seen the most recent testimonial from the Reverend R Van De Weyer, the priest behind Powerscourt Services Limited and Holkham Redress.
Powerscourt Services Limited has agreed by consent to the extension to trial of the freezing order in relation to our client investors. Our investor clients all gave money to Powerscourt Services Limited for them to transmit it on to Food Water & Energy SA (“FWE”). Reverend R Van De Weyer paid our clients monies to other third parties without explanation.
For anyone invested into SCS Farmland, they should properly check that their money has been remitted to FWE. We have been in contact with quite a few other SCS Farmland investors (and their SIPP operators). We intend to seek disclosure of where money has been remitted in the next week.
Why are Tailormade so loyal ?
One of the odd facets of this has been the almost unstinting support of Tailormade Alternative Investments Limited (“TMAI”) for the Reverend R Van De Weyer. Even when it has been pointed out that their own investor’s money has been paid to the incorrect parties, TMAI still steadfast support the Reverend R Van De Weyer.
Information provided to us as part of the proceedings provide the answer to why TMAI have been so supportive.
In 2014 at the behest of the Reverend R Van De Weyer, Powerscourt Services Limited provided a £104,000.00 loan to Tailormade SIPP Limited (now called Cambridge May Limited). Odd, that Powerscourt Services Limited is based in Cambridge.
We have also received information that the Reverend R Van De Weyer was intending to write the loan off. All very generous of Reverend R Van De Weyer. We have secured undertakings for our clients from Powerscourt Services Limited that the loans will not be written off.
The continuing promotion of the Reverend R Van De Weyer as a “good man”, is very odd when you look at the facts. Simply, the Reverend has paid client monies to the wrong people.
It seems that £104,000.00 is the price for absolute loyalty even when someone has misapplied their own clients money.
Court Disclosure
Any SCS Farmland investor needs to take the step of seeing where their money has been paid. We are asking the question for investors and will (if necessary) go back to court.
Why would anyone, even a man of God (who runs his business for non profit) give the directors of TM £104,000, but not ask for it back?
£104,000…. that’s an awful lot of money to give away.
Maybe the directors of TM have spent £104,000 on presents for the under privileged? Maybe Al Burns is renting his house out for for £9500 to give to the needy?
This all could be a big misunderstanding……
If Dave Ames authorised the sale of the plant and equipment to cover running expenses, then Dave committed an act of theft and that in itself would make him a thief, so we know he is a liar, and now we have a poster suggesting that he is a thief, does not bode well for Dave, and his “defamation” cases.
Dave Ames would have to prove that Wilkins Kennedy were indeed responsible for the mess that is Harlequin for him to obtain any money, but that leads one to the obvious question, if Wilkins Kennedy were indeed responsible for the Harlequin mess,what role did Dave play in all this, as “Chairman” was he sleeping for 4 years, and who can be blamed for the post 2010 debacle, the post 2010 period when Ames took in a further c 200 million Stg. A period in which Ames launched the “Blu” and “H” Hotel brands, promised guaranteed “Buy” backs for those wishing to invest, launched Jamaica, claimed to be looking at launching in the Emirates, broke ground on Merricks promising thousands of jobs, was establishing a Center of “Excellence” in St. Lucia, opened offices in New York, Paris, Rome, Milan.
If Ames manages to prove that the Harlequin mess is not of his making, and whether he gets £ 1 or £ 100 Million for this, the view that others have of Ames and his family will not change.
Wait until HMRC start interviewing the staff of Harlequin !!
Wait until they take the lid off the agents tax affairs!!
If I was a betting man HMRC are well aware of how things have been paid, If I hadn’t pad tax on my commistion payments I would be very worried.
I wonder why both directors of TM have attempted to sell their houses…….
I only give to the needy. Or way that greedy? I do get confused.
see I gotton so mixed up I said way instead of was.
I must confess they are such nice chaps I don’t want them to pay back the £104,000, at the time Alistair needed that fancy car.
My blessed children, please don’t judge a man of God! I was merely carrying out the work of our Lord & saviour. Our collection monies from my church was to the poor brothers at Tailormade who were in a pickle at the time. Now it’s obvious they don’t have the means to pay it back, I have hastened to write off the debt! Have faith children!
He (Ames) does move in mysterious ways.
Trainee
I fear Mr Fatchett in actually in cahoots with the devils own work. I’m a man of God, trust in me.
Even the GV is welcome in the House Of God. ‘HOG’
Not sure about that, I don’t believe Abrams will be welcomed in HOG, because he was blamed for the flood at BBR.
@sid, 10.36. Ames doesn’t perform many wonders though.
@ Rev RVDW. Do you hope for a Landrace wash?
The taxman is Harlequins and the agents biggest problem, its happening do not doubt it, this is true.
The tax investigators have all the details of the money paid… I wonder who gave those details…Dave?
That’s because my illiterate friend, so is Harlequin and the main agents 😉
(SIC) ?
I have had several replies from the various Government offices I contacted. It would be fair to say, they are fully aware of the problem investors face and the activities of Harlequin.
Today, I will be sending more information.
Any news on the SDs in SVG? Isn’t this supposed to be the week the plug is being pulled?
Sid, as a cash investor I hope not for your sake!
When Harlequin dies, so does your cash investment!
Then the smug SIPP investors will be making fun of you and the other cash investors
Sid, your falling into the trap of believing the bullshit posted on this forum.
Give your head a shake!
Why on earth would SIPP investors behave smugly? I know there’s a few here don’t see a wind up of the Ames supporters when it happens- but smugly!!
@Anon, I’m not falling into any traps, just trying to keep up to date with what’s going on. It all seemed quite definite last week.
Sid, it’s always “definite” Next Monday, next week, next century. I thought you would have picked up on the mis information posted on here just to keep people guessing. Why are the tax affaires of Agents/HP employees of such interest? Just to keep the boat rocking along with information. The post by No Bullshit is typical. Tells you nothing but keeps you on the hook ( that’s not you specifically) Will be sending more information? Yeah right.
Ok, yeah I made it up…. this an extract.
I am sorry to hear of the situation in which you find yourself. However, all investments carry financial risk and the Government cannot legislate to ensure good investment performance. The Harlequin group of companies are not, and have never been, authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the investment you purchased was marketed and sold as an unregulated investment. I understand the HMRC issues you mentioned are subject to an ongoing investigation……
“Ongoing investigation” yes just like the SFO . Will go on for years before it is dropped. HMRC will ask the agents to confirm they have declared their taxable income. As all agents fees paid by HP have previously been disclosed then”ongoing investigation” will just go on and on. 💤💤💤
Still doesn’t mean Harlequin will be a legitimate business. Far from it. It’s one of the largest scams to hit the UK since the invention of money. Your puppet master certainly has you by the balls.
Now now Anonymous, did you not say you did not want to play anymore! Just cannot help yourself can you. 🎣🎣🎣
Yeah I want to play again. Tell me something that will get me annoyed, typically about how the investors are all greedy and GV is a reputable person.
Look like Robert got a new app to amuse him while squatting
on the loo with his box of wine and i-pad. A real class-act,
that one.
Has Dave been detained under the Mental Health act?
@Anonymous from a mobile device. 📲 You really are computer illiterate. A new app lol. 😂😂😂
@No Bullshit Bullshitter – “getting yourself annoyed” didn’t have any effect :(. The “good news from HP” did! I need more along that line
Wait for it! All will be revealed soon. 🎈🎈🎈🎈🎈
Wait for it. All will be revealed soon. 📢📢📢📢
Finance package to be announced
Building to re start at all resorts
Payments to resume after banking Glitch.
All is well at Harlequin Dreamworks!
PS..Don’t hold your breath.
Robert, can you count all your friends on one finger.
Nicked a nickname eh- great and apt. But it should be two fingers- good ole British salute.
@🏢 👬 👬 👬 👬 👬 👬
My agent is being subject to a tax investigation, he is now on antidepressan
He thought by closing down his company the problem was solved.
He was wrong, he earned £200,000 from Harlequin and spent the lot, paid not tax and is now facing bankruptcy.
Finally, a good news story. He deserves what he gets.
Wait until they get into HMSSE, that will be delightful….. won’t it Vinny 😉 Dan and co.
Its a fair assumption that agents will be crapping themselves. My agent set up a company
http://companycheck.co.uk/director/910733174
No stranger to closing down companies
Not a bad house
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/detailMatching.html?prop=43941901&sale=52456133&country=england
Bet the house is in Mrs name.
Bet all the other properties are in the Stenning and Barclay families’ names
Wot about the lidl wine box troll who is so confident that he’s getting his return?
😇😇😇😇🍷🍷🍷🍷👆👆👆👆
How’s the Harlequin “trust” going?
Going, Going, GONE!
Anon 9:59 Would you care to expand on that a bit
If you need it explained you’re not keeping up.
Yes, they maybe in other peoples names but things can be overturned 😉
That’s a silly idea to think you are safe
with regard to the post below, just wondering if bob still has a wife to share the good times with ?. It seems strange that a happily married man , financially secure, would choose to spend so much time on this forum.
Come on Sid, you said it yourself, 2 out of 9000 is great news. Harlequin were right all along, lets cut them some slack and celebrate with them.
The question is, will we live long enough to see the other 8998?
(of the two only two look a bit dubious so it’s either 8998 or 9000 left. Either way, I’m popping the cork on a good box of wine tonight. I’ve aged this one for a whole week, the missus won’t know what hit her. We even broke out the plastic wine goblets and they only come out for special okashuns)
👫 👫 👫🍷🍷🍷🍷👍👍👍👍
Rumour has it there is a 3rd completion set for early 2016….updates to be announced mid 2015. It could be you :o)
Completions are taking place all the time.
@Anonymous 5.05 pm..Great, and I hear financing as promised is also available now!
Truth is..no one is completing.If they were, Harlequin would be trumpeting that news all over the place…just not true Bob. But keep on wishing that everything is going to be all right .
You are going to look soooo silly soon.
Silly as in taking £440m and building 100 cabanas, without any underwriter for the “guaranteed” / “virtual” mortgages promised at point of sale?
Silly as in the interest payments have been indefinitely “postponed” due to a “banking error”?
Silly as in Harlequin doesn’t have any financing?
Silly as in there are currently, nor have there ever been, any audited accounts, a formal business plan, management accounts (budgets for build etc), or any structured management team in place?
I’m sure I’m about to look really “silly”.
No silly about your comments on completions. See you are looking silly already.
Anon 7:04 Away from Harlequin a minute. I am running i-cloud
os-x Yosemite and when I updated to it I became a blue anonymous.
Querstion – why are you a blue anonymous. Just wondering.
It depends on the mobile device you use. Look at Anon 6.39. I do not have a clue how to change it, but there again I don’t need to. Sorry that’s all I know. This post will not be blue.
Anon 10:54
I’m using a MacBook Pro…..fingers much too fat to use mobile.
Who is Blue?
L
TM now need to pay £104,000 back, another bankrupt?
It is always handy to have friends in high places.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levent was declared on the 29 June 2014.
The group is not recognised as a state by any country and has no credibility at all. Supporters should return to their homes and make peace.
All,
Update – 7th December 2014
Regulatory Legal Solicitors acts for investor groups. Most of our work goes in cycles. Generally speaking, we are painted as terrible “ambulance chasers” and “trouble causers” by those promoting the particular investment. In all the cases below, we have taken action to seek redress and to protect our clients. Track records are only created by history. The two SFO cases below involve fraud allegations by the SFO. We now see fraud convictions. In both cases, we were told we were wrong by those behind the investments.
The third case of SCS Farmland / Powerscourt Services Limited is in the early stages. However, we already know that Reverend R Van De Weyer admits that Powerscourt Services Limited paid our clients money to the wrong party. We have secured the continuation of the freezing order and we keep our options open. We have had all manner of moaning from those close to Powerscourt / Holkham Compensation as they clearly do not like the spotlight being turned on their financial dealings.
Convictions
moneymarketing.co.uk/news-and-analysis/regulation/three-directors-convicted-over-23m-biofuels-fraud/2016989.article
Many of our Harlequin clients also have other unregulated investments. This week has seen the conviction of three individuals who were involved in Sustainable Growth Group and its subsidiaries Sustainable AgroEnergy and Sustainable Wealth Investments.
These investors were deliberately misled into believing that SAE owned land in Cambodia that was planted with Jatropha trees, and that there was an insurance policy in place to protect investors if the crops failed.
West is a former director and chief commercial officer of SAE, Whale is the former chief executive of SGG and Stone was director of SJ Stone, a sales agent of unregulated pension and investment products.
SFO director David Green says: “These three individuals preyed on investors, many of whom were duped into investing life savings and pension funds. As a result, many lost life-changing amounts of money.
“This successful conclusion of the SFO’s investigation clearly demonstrates the harm that this type of investment fraud has on victims and the SFO’s ability and determination to bring criminals to justice.”
The three men have been remanded on conditional bail until their sentencing on 8 December.
Unregulated Sales Agents
According to the court reporting, Mr Stone received many millions of pounds of commission. The commission rate being as high as 65% of initial investment. This conviction is of most interest as Mr Stone was not an officer or employee of Sustainable Growth Group and its subsidiaries Sustainable AgroEnergy and Sustainable Wealth Investments. Clearly, unregulated sales agents are not as bomb proof as they think they are.
Arck LLP – Project Bijou – SFO
sfo.gov.uk/our-work/our-cases/case-progress/project-bijou-arck-llp.aspx
One of the two parties charged with various fraud offences has pleaded guilty (to some of the charges). This case is due to go to trial in January 2015.
Once again, pretty brochures, wild promises and (in our opinion) some terrible advice allowed a massive property fraud to occur. Fortunately, in this case compensation is being paid by Yorkshire Bank Plc and by advisers and their insurers to the victims. Our client group in this matter represents the majority of investors. For more information, please contact Michael Cotter – michael.cotter@regulatorylegal.co.uk
SCS Farmland
Unrelated to the SGG convictions is the SCS Farmland investment administered in the UK by Powerscourt Services Limited, You will recall that Powerscourt Services Limited is subject to a freezing order obtained by our client investors.
During the court disclosure process it was admitted that investor monies were paid to parties other than Food Water & Energy SA.
We have been instructed by other investors to enquire where their monies were paid. We suspect that the same set of circumstances will emerge. Our clients believe that they are victims of crime and shortly, we will be taking the appropriate action. We would urge all SCS Farmland investors to come forward so that we may verify where their payments were made to. Please contact Laura Hawkins (email) for further information.
We have secured undertakings from Powerscourt Services Limited that they will not write off the £104,000.00 loan to Tailormade SIPP Limited (now Cambridge May Limited). This means that the debt will now need to be repaid. This will certainly benefit investors.
Conclusion
The “realisation” stage follows. Investors are realising that the warm words they receive are simply untrue. Like Mr Stone (who will in our opinion go to prison tomorrow), some agents will feel very nervous when they see the SGG judgment.
Regulatory Legal Solicitors
Dear H, Barbados Purchaser,
RE: H, BARBADOS – FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
Over the last 12 months, against all odds Harlequin has become an established name in the Caribbean tourism industry with the recent successes of Buccament Bay Resort, St Vincent & The Grenadines, and blu, St Lucia. Whilst construction and development has continued at these two properties, with completions of well over 100 properties already underway in St Vincent, it has always been the intention to restart development elsewhere and the natural choice to expand our Caribbean offering is the stunning H, Barbados project.
Construction at H, Barbados was at an advanced stage in 2013 before Harlequin experienced its various problems, which promptly halted Harlequin Developments’ ability to operate effectively and build luxury resorts. Since that time, many offers have been tendered to us for purchase of the site and proposals have been made to enter a joint venture agreement to build H, Barbados. All offers and proposals have been treated with the utmost care, caution and respect with due consideration given to the best way to proceed with the project – with or without Harlequin.
Harlequin is now in a more stable position than it has been in recent times and, with the expected professional negligence case against Wilkins Kennedy likely to be decided in 2015, Harlequin must now continue its restructuring efforts by restarting construction of the 78-room H, Barbados project in the first quarter of 2015.
In order for this to happen, we need willing purchasers who are able to pay in instalments for their H, Barbados property investment and fund the development so that the highly desirable luxury hotel can begin trading as soon as possible. Payments will be set at an agreed level for the duration of the development works, with each instalment after the initial payment tied to development milestones. This means that subsequent payments will only be sought upon completion of established development targets (e.g. finishing the hotel’s skeleton frame). Our preference would be for all of the original H, Barbados purchasers to take part, but we understand the challenge this presents.
If you are unable to commit to financing your H, Barbados property investment, Harlequin must act in the interests of all purchasers. The likely option for any purchasers who cannot meet the above terms is to re-allocate their deposit to a property of an equal or higher value at another development.
Please contact either Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning on 01268 242 460 by December 31st 2014 to discuss a way forward that works for you. Alternatively, you can email them on:
Our hope is that, on sight of this letter, you will either proceed with us or willingly consent to moving your deposit to a different development, thus enabling an able purchaser to join the process and increase the chances of future investment success for the Harlequin client base as a whole with a new luxury development up and running by early 2016.
In the meantime, we continue to work with our external advisors to restructure the business in order to raise external finance for the continuing development of the resorts in the Caribbean, which we hope will lead to mortgages being available for future completions at other developments.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Ames
“We don’t have finance”
@RL it has never been suggested you are “terrible” ambulance 🚔 🚔 chasers. In some ways you are quite good at ambulance chasing. After all look at all the self promotion and advertising you have done regarding HP.
Note to Mr Ames….re: HHotel – all the uncovered rebars have been
exposed to the saline elements for two years. I walked around the outside
perimeter last month and saw much structural decay. Hotel has no
private beach and is bordered to the north by a McDonalds parking
lot. Any investor who throws away money on that doomed project
will receive nothing…..
No wonder the opening date sign on H Hotel is blank. (They keep repainting the completion dates) They have no clue when it will be opened!
“If you are unable to commit to financing your H, Barbados property investment, Harlequin must act in the interests of all purchasers. The likely option for any purchasers who cannot meet the above terms is to re-allocate their deposit to a property of an equal or higher value at another development.”
So what do I do with my H Barbados contract which states that I pay nothing more then my deposit until completion???
And what do you mean by being unable to meet the above Terms, what terms are these,????? they do not appear in my contract.
And what do you mean by Harlequin must act on the interests of all purchasers.??? Funny I thought we were investors.
And what other development, ?????
Furthermore what the hell has Wilkins Kennedy got to do with H Barbados?????
And even if I paid additional stage payments, what happens if you loose against Wilkins Kennedy ?
And what about the ongoing SFO investigation???
Or the HMRC investigation ?
Why not use the finance you claim you are in the process of obtaining to complete the H Barbados hotel. ???
Why are you continuing on spending money on a defamation case in the US ???
And why have charges been applied to a number of your UK properties by a company called CLC Nominees ???
Who are CLC Nominees????
Why have they obtained charges against Honywood Business Park and some place called Cleres Crescent?
“In the meantime, we continue to work with our external advisors to restructure the business in order to raise external finance for the continuing development of the resorts in the Caribbean, which we hope will lead to mortgages being available for future completions at other developments.”
Dave have a look at your video in the Grove hotel on the issue of mortgages, why not use the profits generated from the successful operations of the two resorts you name below in order to continue with construction of your other resorts including H Barbados.
“Over the last 12 months, against all odds Harlequin has become an established name in the Caribbean tourism industry with the recent successes of Buccament Bay Resort, St Vincent & The Grenadines, and blu, St Lucia.”
The statement above is a little confusing, I thought we were told that Harlequin had become an established name years ago?
Looks like Paddy is up late then. Go on Paddy you are dying to tell the world about CLC Nominees, a solicitor in London. Go on then tell us about the charges. 💤💤💤
I’d prefer if Dave Ames told us, but heh a charge is a charge, wonder is it the same CLC that “walked” away, if they did they, walked away with charges. 😉
So finally the much fabled and unique business model has been exposed, it’s simple, as your units are built you make stage payments,
I mean what a fantastic idea, so all the purchasers have to do is make those payments as and when they fall due,
So simple yet so effective, Bravo Mr. Ames Bravo.
Well if you give them any money you deserve all you get…..
Could they be the same ones that have a freezing order from Crazier and Co….. that agreed payment terms and would like the order once paid?
Just asking…….
I gave Dave, Guardian, TM my pension. Are we supposed to sell our homes now to complete? Would they like the shirts off our backs too?
That’s correct anon, you are just a poor person who can’t afford to pay the balance. Ideas above your station.
W.A.N.K.E.R
CLC Nomiees, directors Andrew Firman and James Brennan. Same directors as Carter Lemon. Set up 19th Aug 2011, 1 month after Crozier set up CPC Worldwide. So it wasn’t Paddy who was posting at 11.09 last night but one of Craziers gang. Why the innuendoes about freezing orders with all the ???. You can have all the freezing/charges against someone, but have you actually achieved anything for you clients/mugs yet. Charges against property can last for years and can only be actioned after a first charge (if there is one) And what’s more you, CPC Worldwide, is not worth much is it? £28k net worth?
It was reported that there are many unpaid bills relating to H hotel in Barbados. Also, serious bills for NIS , Land Taxes etc. these will have to be paid before any work starts at that site.
Well done Bobby, but can you just remind me what relevance CPC next worth is?
Now, Harlequins net worth ‘cough’ will be much less for their investors / mugs
Surly, Harlequin is insolvent.James Baker said so.
Technical insolvency occurs when an individual or a firm is unable to meet their financial obligations. Accounting insolvency happens when total liabilities exceed total assets
“exicuted”
So you should be if that is your only comment to the above.
David Ames.Why do you treat investors appallingly ? You have already taken there money and frittered it away with no returns.H hotel is just a derelict shell. How can you do this to people ?you have had the money to build it,pay the workers,suppliers,NIS etc.You have wrecked so many lives, were us your compassion? Why not give H hotel it’s true name ? Heartbreak Hotel.
“Their” good game this. “Where is”
Hmmm so the solution to the problem is ? Oh yeah, forget about your contract, give Dave and Co. money when they demand it, if you can’t well that’s your loss. All in the interests of purchasers.
Well it’s not for me, I prefer the idea of a charge, I assume the charge is in place because Dave will have promised to repay someone within a specific time frame and if not the charges become enforceable.
I’m sure the charges also have various agreements associated with them. But I did see that HP supporters claimed that CLC / CPC had walked away from the freezing order case, it looks like that may well have not been the case. Anyone know if the freezing orders have been lifted? Or could they still be in place?
I see that the plaintiffs(Harlequin,David Ames, Carol Ames) in the California Supreme Court case against Does 1-50 have filed (Nov 26th) for a Dismissal of the Case Without Prejudice.
Run out of money, or no proof obtained?
That`s interesting, because at the same time (Nov 26th) The case Conference of Dec 17th was cancelled, but continued to Feb 18th 2015.
Geez ! Does this mean we can use our real names now?
Perhaps they have the names they want now.
Seriously…… There would be no need for freezing orders if Ames had provided what he was contracted to provide.
Could anyone explain what the post about the Ames case in California means in simple English? Has he give up or what?
Ames , through his Lawyer, Timothy B Broderick, has requested that the case be dismissed. It is not shown weather the Court has allowed the case to be dismissed. Why he would ask for a dismissal is anyone`s guess.
Come on have a heart the Stennings and Daves other loyal staff need the Barbados funds its Christmas after all.
Robert, just to remind you and Dave of the harlequin Business model, which Dave so vehemently defended ( with our money ) , this was a marketed as a unique opportunity for investors That could not raise a mortgage in the caribbean, to invest in an invstment property
guess what bob and Dave, the investors you targeted, that do not have the means of raising a mortgage in the caribbean, dont have the funds for the other 70%.
Please let me know if you need any more explanation about the huge flaw in the harlequin business model
Don’t we all look dumb to have believed this?
I’m impressed how the hell you got that uploaded?
http://www.ftadviser.com/2014/12/08/ifa-industry/companies-and-people/three-sentenced-to-yrs-for-m-biofuel-fraud-GDiJQAldixQLy2uczoSUCN/article.html
@mis -sold an investment. You seem to be implying that I targeted investors in some way. Well you got that wrong.
Peter Ebdon is ensured a 300% capital growth from his harlequin property investment in 3 months, you cant make this stuff up….. or can you ?
Wow, Peter Ebdon testimonial, and what else can we find, wow, Guaranteed mortgages in thailand. Surely we must eventually find a guarantee that harlequin were actually able to deliver on, Surely.
… said no one ever
Peter Ebdon chose to use the comprehensive services of Harlequin Property because he felt confident in knowing that we are a professional company who pride ourselves on only working with reputable developers.
Harlequin were so professional they did not bother with contracts, and then ended up in court with the reputable developers they pride themselves on working with.
Having failed to deliver on any of their guarantees, they leave it to robert storey and richard ingham to restore harlequin’s online reputation.
it’s like the fawlty towers of property investment.
I’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you.
My question is rather simple, in Dave’s latest email he refers to the 100 completions, I assume that would mean there are 100 units completed, and ready to hand over to customers, and furthermore correct me if I’m wrong but for the past number of years that has been (100 units) the figure plus or minus a few, so when he states that building work has continued at Buccament Bay, what is he actually referring to ?
With reference to the U.S. court action, given that Dave is now seeking to drop that case on a “Without Prejudice” basis, I wonder how much of the other sides legal fees will he have to pay, I’m not sure whether ” Automatic Inc ” will let him just walk into the sunset just like that.
Also how many units are to be at H Barbados ? 100 ? So if purchasers fund the “ongoing” build of that Hotel in Barbados, Dave will have 200 units complete by 2016 + the 100 or so at Blu. Ok 300 out of some 9000 sold, at that rate Dave will have completed what he sold by the year 2189.
Fantastic, so my great great great grand kids children may have to deal with Dave’s great great great grand kids kids.
I suppose the upside of this will be that my unit will have increased in value by about 6 million Quid. The downside will be that Guardian my SIPP provider will have made about 200k in fees from me by then.
Well not from me, cause I won’t be around then. And I won’t give a hoot by then.
Talking of life’s scumbags, let share a minute to think of matt ames, who will not be with his family this christmas,
@ can I play teacher?
I’m thankful for having an interesting professional job that provides a great salary and benefits. I would, however, far prefer to do an honest job like washing and ironing than be respsonsible for scamming people out of their life savings and pensions and inflicting misery on thousands of families.
6000 investors pray your family will soon be with you Matt Ames.
City directors sentenced to 28 years in total for £23m green biofuel fraud
08 December 2014
Three men were sentenced today at Southwark Crown Court as a result of the Serious Fraud Office’s investigation and prosecution of Sustainable Growth Group (‘SGG’) including its subsidiary companies Sustainable AgroEnergy plc (‘SAE’) and Sustainable Wealth (UK) Investments Ltd (‘SWI’).
All three were convicted on Friday following a prosecution which focused on the selling and promotion of SAE investment products based on “green biofuel” Jatropha tree plantations in Cambodia. The green biofuel products were sold to UK investors who invested primarily via self-invested pension plans (SIPPs). These investors were deliberately misled into believing that SAE owned land in Cambodia; that the land was planted with Jatropha trees, and that there was an insurance policy in place to protect investors if the crops failed.
Sentences handed down:
Gary Lloyd West, of Hertfordshire, former Director and Chief Commercial Officer of SAE was sentenced to a total of 13 years’ imprisonment.
James Brunel Whale, of Sussex, former Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of SGG was sentenced to a total of 9 years’ imprisonment
Stuart John Stone, of Shropshire, Director of SJ Stone Ltd, a sales agent of unregulated pension and investment products was sentenced to a total of 6 years’ imprisonment.
Both Mr West and Mr Whale were disqualified from being a director for 15 years whilst Mr Stone was disqualified for 10 years.
When handing down sentence HHJ Beddoe described the fraud as a “thickening quagmire of dishonesty… there were more than 250 victims of relatively modest means some of whom had lost all of their life savings and their homes.” The judge added that the bribery was an aggravating feature.
Joint Head of Fraud Jane de Lozey commented:
“This is the first of a number of SFO cases to come to trial involving the mis-selling of investment products connected with self-invested pension plans (SIPPs) in which savers on modest incomes have tried to invest for their retirement only to find themselves the victims of fraud. Pension scams can be difficult to detect even for experienced investors. The SFO is working closely with partner agencies across law enforcement to tackle this type of serious economic crime.”
Legal proceedings to establish compensation and confiscation orders against the three defendants have commenced.
Notes for editors:
1. The jury reached their guilty verdicts on Friday, 5 December. Details of the press release issued at verdict is available here.
2. Gary West’s sentence:
Count 1 – 9 years
Count 2 – 9 years concurrent
Count 3 – 4 years consecutive
Count 5 – 4 years concurrent
Count 7 – 4 years concurrent
James Whale:
Count 1 – 9 years
Count 2 – 9 years concurrent
Stuart Stone sentence:
Count 3 – 6 years
Count 4 – 6 years concurrent
Count 6 – 6 years concurrent
3. The three men were charged on 14 August 2013 and attended their first court appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 23 September 2013. Details of the charge press release issued 14 August 2013 is available here.
4. The bribery charges against West, Stone and Wong are the first to be brought by the SFO under the Bribery Act 2010
5. The period during which the offences occurred is between 1 April 2011 and 24 February 2012.
6. The SFO is a partner in a multi-agency campaign named Project Bloom to raise awareness of pension scams, details of which are available here. Other partners include the Department of Work and Pension, The Pensions Regulator, The Pensions Advisory Service, Money Advice Service, Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue & Customs, Action Fraud, National Crime Agency and the City of London Police.
7. The Serious Fraud Office is an independent government department, operating under the superintendence of the Attorney General. The aim of the SFO is to protect society by pursuing and prosecuting those who commit serious and complex fraud and corruption. Its Director is David Green CB QC.
“An interesting professional job that provides a great salary and benefits” yet you are on an Internet blog at at 6.33. You need to get a life mate.
If I worked as a main agent I would be crapping myself, maybe that’s why the directors of Tailormade have attempted in vain to sell their shag pads?
The SFO is a sniffing 😉
Is the London NYT bureau guy monitoring this yet?
No
Who has close links with TM said they are both in a mess Alistair Burns has lost the plot along with his Aston Martin….such joy.
I think they are right to be sweating. The fact is that you can’t take money off people in return for a service that you never provide. There is a word for that, and on that basis I fully expect that anyone who has benefited from the HP scheme will have to answer to the authorities. There are too many people that feel wronged by HP and their agents for this to just go away. At some point action will be taken. It’s inevitable.
Sid, two words come to mind…clawback and proceeds of crime
(actually four words in case Robert wants to correct me)
Let’s hope so.
Can I play at being well off? – Not sure what the post you are referring to has to do with me, I never posted it!
From what you have written you clearly don’t know anything about me so why make things up and post them?
It’s not a game Bob.
It’s not me Sid. Don’t get drawn in.
Robert Storey, of course it isn’t you, you are like a stuck record!
Sorry Bob.
Looks like Ames is facing a very large adverse cost award in the US courts, and also wondering if there is any news on the Wilkins Kennedy case.
A number of litigants ( local ) have filed court papers in Barbados against Ames and his companies, Ames has till mid January to file a response, I wonder is this the reason why Ames gave purchasers till the 31st of December to respond to his demands ” proposals” re H Barbados.
Staff at Buccament Bay once again have been left short paid, probably a banking glitch.
So much bullshit, so little time. Whoever let this idiot out in public is beyond me.
It’s ok Sid, no probs.
Mr Ingham your home is hardly anything special. You drive a rented car. you are just an average bloke aspiring to be something your not.
However I will confirm you’re a very corpulent family.
Does Ames have security around (his) our house? By that I mean minders and big security fences and that?
It’s my understanding his security guy left, he was not paid.
Ah that would be the SA guy? He left some time ago. I’m just surprised that Ames doesn’t have minders with all the dislike of him going around!
Doubt he can afford them now. However, I’am amazed that nobody has not took a swing for him.
Mind you he is an OAP now? He would use that to his advantage.
Well anonymous, I wasn’t hinting- I was quite clear. But I don’t understand a word of your statements above. Either of them!
???
So what’s your angle Anonymous? Where are you with all this- giving individuals a (deserved for all I know- but I don’t get why) kicking aside?
It appears that Sean Ghent has erased any association with
Harlequin on his LinkedIn page…I wonder why?
SG’s Facebook page looks like one disgusting racist, xenophobic rant.
One wonders why he seems so preoccupied with posting macabre and bloody videos of people being murdered.
He’s one sad sicko.
Ames shafted him by owing him £6000, note to Bobit:
Someone who looked after you 24/7 got a stuffing….. what are you to Ames Bobby Nob?
I still don’t get it- does Anonymous think I’m someone else? What’s the point of this forum? Do we actually swap any helpful intelligence? I’m looking for information that helps investors
Then why I ask again Anonymous, do you post here?
And of course Dick you know him so well, maybe, just maybe…. because you like to imagine things….. you imagine you are a proper man like SG not some fat nonce.
Not some wannabe tough guy who takes pleasure in abusing women.
@i only ask, which Anonymous are you referring to?
Do you think anyone would be stupid enough to handover anymore money to Barbados? Ingham Or Storey what about you loyal lapdogs?
B-dp what a totally meaningless post of dross. Very informative for investors NOT. What a pea brain.
Whatthefuss aka Ingham
You never invested in Harlequin anyway, your ”contract” is fake. You know that I know that.
Oh dear Katherine what an idiot you are. You are now an expert in investors contracts.
Regarding Ingham.
Odd being such a mover and shaker he does not even have a company lol
He is not even a director…. bigger lol.
Paid cash, side splitting!!
Just a sado fat wannabe
Joe average Ingham.
Anonymous- I don’t know. Sorry but its all too boring to be bothered. BFN
Go and have a lie down in a dark room. I think you need it.💤💤💤
I know all about you Dick. None of it impressive.
Any news on the finance? On the DD strewn with errors? FCSC backing the Trust………… erm what Trust 😉
How do you know when GV is lying?
Whenever his lips are moving.
Well “Angela” or whatever your name is, if all you can come back with is a bit of spell check then you don’t have much do you? Now how about saying something really interesting.
Where is the finance?
Is that it “Angela”? “Where is the finance” not exactly original is it?
Where is the finance?
The super Trust?
Building?
HMRC investigation?
SFO investigation?
Seriously guys, a very similar scheme just seem people sent to jail for 28 years – what makes this different?
Only someone who is bonkers would expect anyone to invest in this latest Barbados ‘scheme’
Barbados looks a better bet than leaving your cash in a non built resort.
If you could transfer your funds with a minimum balance I think its a possibility – I’m going for it and the trust too!
What makes this different is that this scheme is about 20 times bigger than the one that has just seen people imprisoned for 28 years! I wonder what effect that would have on sentencing.
Sid – nothing has been proven, so why you judging already?
How am I judging? I asked a hypothetical question, that’s not judging.
Sid – you compared this scheme to a scheme that has imprisoned people.
Anyway, Sid, do you mind me asking if your SIPP or Cash?
I’m not comparing this to anything. It’s a scam. One of the biggest.
I didn’t compare it. I commented on the comparison that I think was made by RL. And you have to admit, there are similarities.
I don’t mind you asking….I am a cash investor. Quite a big one at that having invested almost £200k almost 8 years ago that in honesty I never expect to see again. So you could say I have a right to be judgmental if I want to be.
I think it’s amusing that, in the face of this potentially being one of the biggest investment scams in UK history, a few people are obsessed with a housewife and her family. They will come on here in a moment and bleat that she and her family are posting all kinds of silly things and even denigrating themselves (how they are so confident that they can discern this I don’t know). It seems to be a little comfort blanket for some supporters to cling to I think. It’s classic bully tactics to fixate on someone else to justify their own ends.
Of course RL do its called business. Like it or not we need them.
Only a numpty would invest a single penny with Harlequin.
Ames is just after money nothing else.
It does seem to have certain similarities, I hope the sentences for Harlequin and agents ( if proved) are pro rata 😉
Anonymous, don’t you think its equally bemusing how that same housewife is obsessed with a fellow investor? Isn’t it the same argument in reverse?
@jo and what do you think RL are in it for? It’s the money. 💷💷💷 How much has RL actually got back for the £1m taken in DD fees? There is a difference between the scam which the 3 were imprisoned for. They built nothing, returned nothing and were not ripped off by a corrupt builder and accountant. Their forests did not exist. BB is a tangible asset. The SFO will not even twitch until the WK case has been decided. It would prejudice the outcome of the case.
@Anon, yes BB through an independent agent.
Sid, so are you tyaking legal action against the Agent?
BB is worth pennies compared to the £400k the great numpty had.
Hi Anon, not yet as still working on plan A, though the agent is definitely in my sights as plan B if A fails.
Sid, would you mind sharing Plan A with us?
And Whatsthefuss is deffo not Richard Ingham. RI would not call DA a numpty.
Richard, the freezing order is still live care to comment? Go on I dare you say something about Dave that does not involve your tongue and his bottom.
You know, some people crave attention and like to be associated with other that they perceive are a success.
Bobbit and Ingham are just Dave’s little lapdogs… waiting for the odd crumb.
Come yap at me, just because I say he is an incompetent twice bankrupt double glazing salesman.
Sooooo tough Richard, makes me wonder why you’re such a wimp when it comes to losing £200k
Bit like Harlequin 😉
Anyone anymore information about the huge problem Mr. Ames has with WordPress?
The title of this Thread is “How many Harlequin companies did Dave Ames register in Barbados?”
Perhaps a more interesting discovery would be: Is the Land at Merricks and the H Hotel property registered in the name of a Harlequin Company, or in David Ames`s name?
Start another thread then you ponce.
It will not be in Dave’s name, that’s for sure.
Daily mirror voucher today, spend £75, get £15 off. Job done!! 🍷🍷🍷
@ anonymous 11 Dec 12.42pm
Your appeal to reciprocity fails. The pro group’s obsession with the Broughtons is a complete distraction. It would be similar to a defendent at the Nuremberg Trials refusing to answer serious charges but instead claiming that the judge really should be talking to the tea lady from the second floor of the Reich Chancellery who made a rather poor cuppa and should be brought to justice.
@ Anon 11;31 …..could not agree more.
Now there’s a post from someone who has blown the whole Aldi discount on wine.
Anyone with an interest in Harlequin should watch “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.” Dave, Simon, Jim, WK take note, Indeed some involved in the making of that particular documentory have been approached and have shown an interest in making a subsequent documentory on pension fraud in the UK and starring guess who.
There are so many uncanny similarities. It’s not funny.
That’s, I suppose, what happens when you try destroy a career of a journalist. Or others with connections.
Take the time to watch the documentory, it is really worth it.
On a slightly different note, Jane de Lozy of the SFO has previously stated that Harlequin was one of three cases on her desk, given the latest prosecution Jane again referred to three cases on her desk which included the case which was recently prosecuted, I wonder if Harlequin is still one of them.
And lastly Automatic Inc have indicated that they intend to pursue Ames, his wife, son and the Harlequin companies reffered to in the US legal action for a large 7 figure sum in costs, this case has now been set out for a date in Feb 2015.
If ames was unsuccessful why did I receive this email?
On 29 Oct 2014, at 15:28, David W. – WordPresscom wrote:
Hello,
We wanted to follow up and inform you that the San Francisco Superior Court issued an order authorizing the subpoena, and Katrina Saleen, counsel for Ames, then re-served the subpoena pursuant to the order. Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, private litigants can serve a subpoena requesting information like the information requested here. We complied with the subpoena on 10/10/14 by providing the following information:
Email Address: ******************************
IP Addresses: ***************************
If you have questions regarding this subpoena, please reply to this email.
Thank you,
David W. | Community Guardian | WordPresscom
Strange that David W. would forget to put a “dot” between WordPress and com.
Very careless of him.
Katrina Saleen is a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment.
Not really a good time for Daft Dave, the freezing order appears to be in place (could that be because he paid nowt?) HMRC investigation, SFO locking people up, now he is being chased for millions in costs by a very wealthy company.
Now, with all of that going on…. a loss making, shabby resort it’s little wonder he has ‘so many’ offers of finance.
Tough times for TailorMade (in liquidation)
http://www.gascoignehalman.co.uk/property-details/502493/cheshire/alderley-edge/broome-house-chelford-road
Maybe this is to pay the £104,000 loan back to investors, they took from the Rev?
No point having a flash pad when you could go to prison 😉
The sooner the better
@Funny you should say that
A formal communication would not give specifics (IP / Email), and would not refer to the plaintiff as “Ames”.
It would, if it was written by some numpty from the yet to be paid bunker.
From WordPress.com website…
Policies & Safety
Defamation
WordPress.com is an internet service provider based in the US, as are all of our servers.
We are covered by section 230(c) of the US Communications Decency Act which states that internet service providers are not held liable for content (such as allegedly defamatory, offensive, inaccurate, or harassing content) that is posted on the sites they host for their users.
We host millions of web sites for our users and are not able to control or police the hundreds of thousands of blog posts our users create every day.
If you have a complaint about one of our blogs, please follow our complaints procedure.
No body is stating that WordPress are responsible for the content. No body is trying to sue WordPress. The information required is the IDs of posters who have, annonymously, and systematically tried to destroy HP for a concerted period of time. The above statement only covers WordPress if someone tries to sue them.
It begs the question – why are HP so concerned with a group of anonymous posters on this website? After all, they’re a multi-national conglomerate (haha) – surely the anonymous musings of a small group of fraud victims shouldn’t cause much trouble, unless of course, HP has something to hide?
@STH, you really have not grasped this have you. The anonymous musing of a small group of investors is not the issue. I would hardly call Ralph a “muse” would you? And there have been many others.
Looks like it’s Bob’s on troll alert tonight then.
Does it not occur to HP that if you take hundreds of millions of pounds off of thousands of people and give nothing back to the very vast majority of them, that maybe some people might get very pissed off and say bad things about HP? Quite why they think they have the right to take legal action against these people is beyond me.
No you’re right, I haven’t grasped it. Surely it’s the work of a committed few who are going to “derail” HP and cause it to finally go under. I am sorry.
It wouldn’t be the fact that no matter how much GV claims to be getting “completions” done, to date, HP have not issued any numbers in reference to the returns we were all promised, would it? This couldn’t be caused by the “returns” HP promised in their sales material are unrealistic and baseless?
Indeed, GV is not talking about “returns” any more is he? He’s talking about “completions” as if that will solve the crisis for 90% of the victims. Completions only give HP money, they don’t give the victims an income.
Surely I’ve been mistaken. Surely me calling HP a huge scam isn’t going to bring such a reputable business into troubled waters?
I find the idea that a “small & committed” group of people trying to bring such a large venture down laughable, like ISIS trying to bring an end to Western Democracy. If HP had nothing to hide, they would quash all anonymous voices in the wind by revealing their finances & future financing plans, proving to us all what they plan to do now they’ve blown £440m.
That’s like blaming Stef Broughton with her carrier bag campaign, for the recent financial problems at Tesco!
I took the dot out. That was the 2nd email from WordPress, do want to see the 1st one?
This is probably a silly question….but why would you take the dot out?
@ Anonymous 3.57 pm, I for one know as much about some of the posters on here as do HP, I have been given a copy of an email from WordPress which identifies a number of IP adresses, the IP adresses are generic in nature and not specific to individuals.
You appear to try and suggest that Dave Ames has done nothing wrong, at the very least Dave Ames has been grossly incompetent.
And as easy as it was for Ames to obtain the generic email adresses, using the same methodology the Broughtons and more importantly the UK police will be able to acquire the Generic IP adresses of those who have engaged in some of the more disgusting posts on here.
Whilst the police will have little or no interest in civil matters such as potential defamation, they would take a very keen interest in the vile and disgusting posts that some engage in on here.
Anonymous
December 12, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Absolute bollocks, what about the million USD against Ames dot or no dot!
@anon 4.50, where do I try and suggest that DA has done no wrong? I think you have a very vivid imagination. Perhaps you would like to share how you have come to this conclusion.
Anonymous 4:50pm, fair point except those IP addresses will also identify that the Broughton’s themselves have been posting vile messages, so its a bit of a non point you make.
That’s if the Broughtons have been posting, the IP adresses will identify the posters, to the poster who claims that this is “bollocks” go ask Dave.
The email I have is far from Bollocks, Dave Ames has attempted to drop the U.S. case on a without prejudice basis, the key word here is drop, as a result Automatic Inc are seeking to recover the costs they incurred as a result of the action Dave Ames had commenced,
What Dave Ames has done is referred to as a SLAPP, go look it up.
Scared Stiff, nice to acknowledge that the Brighton’s do post vile anonymously, some people don’t accept it.
What woman does Ingham hate by the way?
HMRC or Jail….. maybe both tick tock.
Pity Newman did not use IP hiding software, and he is supposed to be a computer geek, so the Broughtons stand no chance.
I got 10% of my own money paid back to me, then it stopped ;(
Scared Stiff, Thank-you for the compliment, I pride myself on being the vilest individual known to man!
Must go I’m off to the Lodge tonight!
@ anonymous Dec 12 1.04pm
I quite agree about the systematic campaign to bring the company down. It’s much like that dumb tea lady in the Reich Chancellery. If she had been able to make a decent cup of tea the Third Reich would have been going strong still.
The travel lodge Richard?
I can see Ingham being a member of the Orange Lodge, they are a most unpleasant organisation.
Orange Lodge? My thoughts are more aligned to the Nazis!
@Anonymous 3:57pm
In order for an IP of a private individual to be tied to a specific person, either the ISP will have to give the details, or the IP will have to be owned by the individual (most public IPs are actually part of a much larger network, like a postcode). The famous “subpeona” email (threat) mentions “two companies” – identifiable by their use of a single public IP for their networks, which suggests to me the difficulty in identifying specific users.
I find the infatuation with the builder to be farcical. Ames brought him in because he was his mate. No contract and was throwing money at him like no tomorrow.
The reality is that out of the 6000 promised units, 140 have been conpleted. You can claim the builder is covering up a “fraud”… he certainly was found guilty of misappropriating funds… but would that have caused the limbo we currently see? The fact is that HP had £440m – £40m spent on interest on loans / mortgages – £250m on commissions. Not much left to build with is there?
And the SFO certainly don’t think that the builder was in cahoots with other fraudsters. In fact, they’re still investigating. They told us so after someone said they had stopped……………… or was that out of context?
Paddy wasn’t DA mate, he was introduced by MacDonald. It was MacDonald who was a personal friend of DA. You need to get your facts right. Who said the SFO said “they don’t think that the builder was in cahoots with other fraudsters?” The SFO would make no comment about any relationship of persons implicated in a possible upcoming court case . Your whole post is out of context.
Someone annoyed?
Even if I am completely mistaken (I’m not in respect to the points you didn’t highlight), HP has a lot of questions to answer. I look forward to finding them. Enjoy your Friday night 🙂
Nope, lies sorry innacuracies, do annoy me. The post above is full of crap, so why post it. Of course HP has a lot of questions to answer but making stuff up for the sake of a post is just crazy. Friday night is going just great thank you. 👍
It most be lonely sitting on the loo with nothing to do but
play with emoticons on your i-pad. But when you’re finished
flush three times because its a long way to Jack’s.
Says the Annonymous poster who has just posted from a mobile device. Is it lonely sitting on your loo?
Robert,
if lies , sorry inaccuracies annoy you, what about Peter Ebdons 300% capital growth over 3 months, can this really be described as a legitimate testimonial ?
In 2007 Ames sacked his Architects on Buccament Bay, in 2008 Ames sacked RidgeView the Construction Company and accused them of misappropriation, also in 2008 Ames sacked Alan Bell Vice President of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts accusing him of misappropriation, in 2008 Ames asked the PM of St. Vincent to deport a Ken Picknell former PM of Buccament Bay accusing him of missappropriation,
Now you might ask why Ames did not pursue cases against any of the above, well that is because Ames was advised by his St. Vincent attorney that to do so would mean that all Ames’ dirty laundry would be hung out in public and it could have an adverse affect on future investment, all the above is fully documented.
We move on in 2008-2009 Ames sacked his lawyers DLA Piper accusing them of over charging, he took them to court.
In 2009 Ames threatened to sue a second set of architects putting them on notice. Ames threatened to sue the Guardian in 2009 after they described Merricks as a ” dust bowl”, just look at Merricks today.
In 2009 Ames sued Phil Martin and the singing pig, over comments made about the progress of the resorts.
In 2010 Ames sues ICE Group and its directors accusing them of missappropriation, in 2012-2013 Ames sues or threatens to sue Poet Vale FC, he accuses Andy Smith the ” CEO” of Harlequin Developments and owner of Procure It Direct of over charging and missappropriation. He sues Mr. Newman for defamation but does not follow through with a court action, he wins an Irish court action now under appeal, but then he and his legal team give wholly contradictory evidence in the Davis case in the UK to that given in Ireland, Ames makes a settlement offer on the eve of his contempt hearing in the UK which by the looks of things involves some legal charges by a company called CLC Nominees, in making the settlement he did not have to face a contempt hearing and the very real possibility that he would have been proven in a court to have lied in the Irish case, or the UK case or both.
Let’s not forget Krauss Manning who Ames removed from Buccament Bay post 2010.
Then you have a whole raft of cases taken by investors against Ames in St. Vincent, Ames response was and is to counter sue the investors.
In 2014 Ames then commences action against Wilkins Kennedy for alledged breaches of trust.
In 2014 Ames commences legal action against Automatic Inc for the production of IP adresses of individuals on BFP, he then attempts to drop this action mid stream, now getting embroiled in a massive adverse costs claim.
Need I go on?
Who is Robert?
Too articulate for Paddy, apart from the comment at the beginning of your last post. Tasteless.
Nice post – I love the breakdown of all the litigation. I read on the original RL forum “everything but build”. This certainly seems to be true in this case.
Excellent Chronolgy, Why do people underestimate the builder? I find that odd, it’s my guess that Ames really but off more then he could chew by taking on the builder, ok so Ames lied like a trooper in the Irish case, does he not understand that the prosecuting agencies know all this, but yes Ames will be playing to a jury, and of course discrediting as many of his former foes as is possible or those with any knowledge of his activities. Just look at the action against Wilkins Kennedy, and before Robert Jumps up quoting the Irish Judge, let’s not forget what I said, Ames lied with gusto in Ireland, like he lied in the Davies case, lied like a trooper there too.
Anonymous, can you give any examples of how he lied?
Yes, I remember Peter Ebdon and Harlequin. I even remember seeing a little Harlequin emblem on Peter’s waistcoat during a televised snooker tournament back in the days when Katherine Wooller was lying her pants off in emails about development programmes and completions, and Simon Terry was throwing passive aggressive threats around to any investor daring to question the legitimacy of the promises Harlequin had made seeing as they were showing no intention whatsoever of carrying out the development plans promised and bought into by investors.
Has anyone looked into whether Ebdon’s story was corroborative? And will Andy Townsend be held to account for taking obviously OTT perks from a fraudulent operation scamming thousands of pensioners out of their life savings and rendering them poor in retirement? Surely that must come under the Bribery and Corruption Act, or will his excuse be that he chose to “ask no questions” and is therefore innocent? Maybe he is. Well, he must be, as I’m sure no decent human would have knowingly taken part in this. Maybe Andy was just a bit greedy, ignorant, thick and gullible.
Katherine and Simon, however, being fully knowing, greedy, deceitful and fraudulent, deserve every bit of bad luck they’re getting/going to get in life.
@ insulted house wife, maybe you could begin by asking Dave how many properties he has an interest in in Dubai?
Those in his name or bought in the name of someone else ?
Then ask Dave who made all of the strategic decisions in Harlequin,
You could also ask Dave why in 2011 did his wife instruct and demand that an employees on site canteen be closed down at Buccament Bay, you could ask him this question given that Dave swore an oath of truth in the UK high court stating that there was no birds eye view of the Caribbean from the UK.
And the list goes on and on and on and on.
You could also ask Dave how much land 1 “he owns” and 2 his companies own at Buccament Bay?
You could ask Dave where the oversight for the expenditure of monies was controlled from?
Or if he has investors ?
You could ask him if he ever filed accounts, as he is legally obliged to do?
See all the above he has claimed in different court cases, but oddly enough the answers always differ.
And the innuendo goes on. More Micky mouse posts that mean nothing without proof. You have been asked to show what the supposed court lies were. Here’s your chance, either put up or shut up.
Anonymous #2, are you defending Ames or just don’t like bullshit posts?
Ralph
@ Anonymous 11.35 pm, it really is time that you guys shut up.
You are looking for an example?
In the Irish case it was clearly demonstrated by Harlequin and Ames that financial control and contractual oversight eminated from the UK, and was undertaken by employess of HMSSE now in liquidation, in a subsequent UK case taken by RL, Harlequin and Ames denied that there was any over sight from the UK.
This has not gone unnoticed to those who are looking into the activities of Harlequin Ames.
This is but one small example,
A further example, Ames stated that he had filed accounts in St. Vincent upto 2011, we now know that he did not file accounts as are required under St. Vincent law, the accounts he filed were not audited and only audited accounts are to be filed as per SVG law, which begs the question who allowed Ames to file unaudited accounts in SVG.
Again this too has not gone unnoticed by those investigating Harlequin.
The list goes on,
How about the complaint filed by the Davies plaintiffs against Harlequins St. Vincent lawyer, or indeed why did the the Davies plaintiffs seek to take contempt proceedings against the Ames family ?
“How about the complaint filed by the Davies plaintiffs against HP SVG lawyer” Here you go again. What complaints? Abstract comments which are not substantiated are just a waste of blog space.
And what do you mean it really is time you guys shut up. Don’t you like your protestations being challenged? Bit touchy aren’t we? Why not just set up your own blog where you can post to your hearts content and no one else can comment or question your unsubstantiated posts.
Finance?
SFO?
HMRC?
FSCS “supports” HP trust?
FCA warns people not to hand over any more money?
ASOL (name change)?
Director’s Loans?
Land ownership?
DD rebuttal?
Escrow accounts for “completions”?
BB returns?
Virtual / Guaranteed mortgages?
Brazil / Jamaica?
Business plans for continued development?
Commissions?
Holkham (scam)?
BB revenue?
Harlequin Air (paid for with investors money)?
£200/night returns (which would pay for the mortgage)?
BB in need of a lick of paint?
Interest payments (banking error)?
Guaranteed buyback after 2 years?
“$200m of assets in the Caribbean” (which we’ve found is false)?
Why no contract for the builder?
If Harlequin is managed in the Caribbean, why is UK office still the main way to deal with them? Surely their HQ should be in Caribbean?
Harlequin’s “trust”?
Accounts?
Jim Baker said HP’s liabilities outweighed their assets (insolvent)?
How do you post photos or PDF files on here. I have the judgement that Ames was granted ex parte with WordPress and they gave emails and ip addresses to him.
you need to upload the image on online, for example at imagur.com. Then find the image url and simply add this to the post, voila, your image will be displayed !!. to find the url of an image, try right clicking on the image – not sure about macs
In regards to the Davis case, looks like Ames promised something but has not paid? Is that why the freezing charge is still in place?
Then he has got off with the contempt of court charge – slippery that is, but how does it help the CLC clients who paid for it?
I have it on very good authority that David Cameron has passed instructions regarding this Harlequin saga.
@Funny you should say that
Go to Anonfiles.com and upload it there. Make sure the PDF does not have any personal details attributable to you, or you may receive papers from stumpy.
Davis or Davies? This is worse than a French farce. Is the freezing order still in place? Or has it been replaced by charges against assets? If it has then the CLC clients/mugs will be waiting a long time before they see anything.
I have it on good authority that David Cameron has not passed any instructions regarding Harlequin
@funny you should say that …what is the source of the PDF you have with a judgement of a case that is still to have a case management review in Feb 2015?The case has not been judged…in fact Harlequins lawyer has filed for a dismissal without prejudice of this case.
It was emailed to me from wordpress
http://dropcanvas.com/t9uym
@above. Why was I sent this
It is ex parte discovery not a full case, but Ames still got the info he wanted.
At least it wasn’t found on a train lol
Fantastic news, now Ames can take a number of defamation cases and hopefully it can be proven that he is a liar and a thief, finally this should put an end to this stupidity and farce.
Yeah fantastic, so for the next two years we will have that ass wipe Ames update us on yet more litigation.
Dave do us all a favour, get on with the build NOW and start fulfilling your promises or go do one. We are not interested in any more bullshit litigation.
You have proven yourself to be a liar, get over it.
Actually this is old news (Sept 11 th)..question is..did WordPress supply the email contacts and IPOs to the Plaintiff, or not?
Since then, in November, Harlequin filed to discontinue the case. It could mean that they got the information they wanted, or it could mean that they did not get it.
They got email addresses and ip addresses of the 50 does.
Yep you are right. DA knows who the posters were and is taking his time deciding how to use the information. Watch this space.
Can’t we go back to talking about mine and my daughters fat arse?
It was much more amusing than having on topic postings!
Well he better be quick deciding, because with all the various parties involved in investigating Ames, its only a matter of time before he is nicked.
If, he had anything interesting from the IP addresses, don’t you think we would have had numerous updates? Especially if it could remotely be attributed to any of the disgruntled investors or the Irish builder??
@Funny you should say that
What is an ex parte ? Sorry for being thick.
What’s this few million claim from wordpress that was mentioned before – can you explain because I’m bloody lost.
Has Ames got IP adresses and if so how does that help me get a return!!
If I posted from lets say my office, but 50 other people work there would it not be pretty hard to prove it was me?
Letting them sweat. Why play all your cards when you hold the aces? If it is proved that RL were posting confidential information on here which had been given to them by HP under the trust/dd deal then something will hit the fan. Then of course we might find out who kept leaving files on the train.
@not me, it was him, but an employer might be interested and start an internal investigation. Using a work computer for personal e mails? Not very clever.
Yes, but I’m the boss. Very tricky to prove, especially with loyal staff who need to keep their jobs.
I say prove it 😉
Ames holds no aces – the authorities do!
Not me, it was him – oh look Sherrif Fatman Walton returns!
Won’t be hard to work out which of the 3 wallpaper sellers posted on BFP. May even be better if nobody owns up then Ames can claim against a company.
Maybe some of the filth written about the Broughtons were actually him but blaming Whatsthefuss.
Would make sense!
We know it was the Irish builder & CPC, so what’s the point?
Interesting what you can find out on the WWW and what relations some people have with others 😉 you know what I mean Dick.
People in glass houses…..
Its all Waltons fault if he hadn’t have brought fatshit along we all would be okay.
fatshit and walton have done more damage that the irish builder.
Don’t waste any money trying to track my IP down!
I’m the first to admit that I have posted vile comments about the Broughtons – and every one justified.
If the authorities hold the aces then why have they not played them. More like holding a pair of 2s.🃏🃏🃏
Ralph Gonsalves – Is it the reason why you support the non payment of the staff by Harlequin because you have properties on the BB resort.
Maybe, when they nab him they want to be 100% sure they will take down the whole family and others that have enabled this to carry on so long.
He has been reported.
Dick what we know has been passed to the authorities….. tick tock.
Dyslexic Fat Worshipper, and I couldn’t care any less.
Your posting is probably a lie anyway, the rest have been so why would this be any different?
Dick if you don’t care why reply, you retard!
HMRC etc etc etc. really is that the best you have. Your understanding of taxation is obviously zippo. Think of something interesting to say.
Dodd House, because if I tell you enough times it might go into your tiny brain sometime soon,
Let’s hope the info you have given to the authorities is better than that you have to Greater Manchester Police about being watched by a PI. Being told by the police that you were a deluded fool didn’t even make you realise your a nut-job!
Lmfao!
Don’t forget to tell HMRC about the £100 GF gave me for going to his place. Oops forgot I can deduct expenses on that. You utter moron.
You wont be laffing soon……ether of you.
What’s not to laff at. Posters with a brain the size of a pea? It’s hilarious.
Doss Houses, I’m still waiting for you to carry out your last threat!
Who’s both by the way?
You are comical.
Nearly getting the hang of this, you’re or is it your or you are?
Tell be Dick is this spelling problem the one that makes you sooooooo bitter and twisted?
Is this in ladybird book two?
http://search2.hmrc.gov.uk/kb5/hmrc/contactus/view.page?record=tRNNy6edopA
So much to report, so little time.
What a bunch of freaks and weirdos.
Thick Dick, I did not realise I was writing a formal letter. However thanks for pointing out it was error free.
What’s funny however is that you can’t structure a sentence, look at your second paragraph!
Get your own house in order, I can see why your career has taken you to the Managing Directors role of a laundry service.
Good to see you found your level in life.
But when Richard makes a mistake it’s just that he is uneducated. Are you still happy you have lost your pretend investment 😉
Tick tock….
Tiny Dick, what makes you uneducated is if you think I will discuss my situation with you or on a public forum!
My situation is private.
You clearly take this forum a lot more serious than me if you worry about spelling when posting.
I wish I had a City & Guilds in Ironing and Stubborn Stain Removal, did you do the doorstep challenge to get it?
LMFAO!
City and Guilds!
I see tick tock is back!
Mr Ingham you don’t have a business you sad wannabe 😉
Tiny Dick, and how would you know if I did or didn’t have a business?
As far as you are concerned I dont, and that’s how I like you to think, otherwise, no doubt you would start posting rubbish about it!
Whatever happened to the Trust and that weird PHIG bloke?
He is not doing too well if you look at the accounts of his company. Going worse and worse…..
Well Dickless prove me wrong.
Very simply you, nor your wife, do not product accounts, do not hold directorships or have an LLP.
They do not exist. You do not have a company. You are a wage slave, you are not even an investor
So, please explain how you can have such a wonderfully flashy business when you produce no accounts, have a website, and nothing about ‘your’ company, or any reference whatsoever to Richard Ingham and partners?
Maybe you are so special you don’t need to produce any accounts, sounds like someone else we know.
Mind you…. you have a dirty little secret don’t you?
Mmmmmm me thinks you a fake, got my spider sense tingling …. more to follow.
I win. You keep they forked tongue firmly up short legs bottom 😉
Steph, wouldn’t you like to know? If you were as smart as me then you may know how I keep my business so private.
As for Company Accounts, they have been submitted, this I have no choice about doing. if you recall Paul Walton witnessed the accounts when you convinced him I was a PI. Maybe he would be kind enough to confirm.
What I may do is provide you with my VAT registration number if you email me.
Let’s see if you can work it out!
Who has the biggest IQ Dave or Ralph?
Deffo Dave. Ralph (paddy) has been found wanting and cannot even manage to conceal his identity.
Lol, who says Ralph is Paddy?, could Ralph not be Ralph, and therefore not concealing his identity, and what if what Ralph says is true? Cmon Dave how about an update, ? Lol
Or could Ralph be Malcome White or maybe Paddy O’Ware? One thing for sure Ralph is not Ralph. If what Ralph says is true then he does not need to hide behind a fake ID. But there again DA has his IP address so all will be revealed.
I doubt very much Dave will bother suing Ralph for defamation, I mean why take on a case where all your filthy laundry will be aired in public, Oh yeah we are talking about Mr. NDA himself lol, Ames had a chance in the Newman case, could have taken it to court, but he didn’t, Ames ran a mile from that one, originally Ames said Newman apologised then moaned in his conference call that Newman had not apologised. So if Newman did not apologise any intelligent human being would see that what Newman was saying was possibly correct.
But go for it again Dave, more defamation, more money spent, more NDA’s, more ducking and diving.
Remember Dave a few words. “Discovery”, “Witness Summons” and Dubai Property 😉
Who said DA was suing Ralph for defamation. Your view on things is very narrow.
And if Newman was so correct and right why did he have to sell his house in Bray and take on rented accommodation? Pay his legal fees perhaps? Of course if he was right he would not have legal fees would he?
@ Anonymous 10.03 pm, one thing that needs no proof. Dave Ames has not completed any resorts, currently Ames does not have the finance to complete any of “HIS” resorts, nor has Dave Ames honoured his contracts to the majority of purchasers, and I think most will agree, these are the only issues which concern the majority of purchasers.
Typical Gloating over the Davies case, what did the Davies group do that was so wrong? Oh yes, demand what was due to them under their contracts with Ames.
@ Anonymous 10.10 pm how do you know that Newman had to sell his property to fund the defamation case, he could have sold his property to invest in a business perhaps ;), and of course Newman will have incurred legal fees as have all others including investors involved in litigation with Ames, but given the Harlecon case is covered by an NDA we don’t know who paid who, given that Dave lied about the Newman apology, it could be that there never was an apology and it could be that Ames ended up paying Newmans costs. Let’s not forget, Ames lied about the apology, and then moans on a “private” conference call that Newman never apologised.
testing
Anonymous Bob 10.10 pm at least Newman never invested in property and got others to register the properties in their names, in order to possibly “hide” the investments from prying eyes.
The information was found on a train lol
@annonymous 10.16. Who was it who brought up the Davies case? Who was it who started little hints about CPC Nominees and charging orders? If you don’t want it discussed then don’t bring it up in the public domain.
So possibly Ames did not want to face a contempt hearing so he gave a legal charge to CLC clients ahead of repaying them the monies he owes them, now what’s wrong with that, and was it not a good result for the Davies group, if indeed this is what happened.
I can fully understand why Ames would have sought an NDA, had anyone else found out that Ames had agreed to repay a small number of investors then that could have opened the flood gates, but it’s all hypothetical, I mean what would I know?
If this did happen as part of the deal I would get the plaintiffs solicitors to undertake not to sue me or assist any others in suing me, that’s what I would do if I was Ames.
And I would have covered my tracks of I was Ames, id buy foreign property and get my mates in the pub to register it as theirs, that’s what I would do if I was Ames, but I’m not Ames, I’m not as bright as Ames, 😉 he is so intelligent. 😉
Anonymous 22.40 wow sorry just catching up here, been off for ages, so the rumour that CLC lost against Ames is wrong, wow CLC obtained legal charges against Ames, has anyone any idea what they obtained these legal charges over, a group of us would like to follow a similar route as the Davies group, any information would be greatly appreciated, I will speak to my solicitor tomorrow. Thanks again Anonymous 22.40 for highlighting this, that’s why forums like this can be in valuable, I will get my solicitor to check the land registry tomorrow. Again thank you.
@ Anonymous 10.40 pm dead bloody right any potential deal struck with CLC should be kept in the public domain, good man, I agree with you whole heartedly, about time others took a similar stance, no more fear of Ames.
If the charge still stand that means they have not been paid off? Or am I missing something?
Time to focus:
Finance?
SFO?
HMRC?
FSCS “supports” HP trust?
FCA warns people not to hand over any more money?
ASOL (name change)?
Director’s Loans?
Land ownership?
DD rebuttal?
Escrow accounts for “completions”?
BB returns?
Virtual / Guaranteed mortgages?
Brazil / Jamaica?
Business plans for continued development?
Commissions?
Holkham (scam)?
BB revenue?
Harlequin Air (paid for with investors money)?
£200/night returns (which would pay for the mortgage)?
BB in need of a lick of paint?
Interest payments (banking error)?
Guaranteed buyback after 2 years?
“$200m of assets in the Caribbean” (which we’ve found is false)?
Why no contract for the builder?
Yes let’s focus minds. Ames probably thinks the criminal case against him will be tried here on BFP.
Let’s hope the New Year sees and end to the stupidity that is the Ames family.
The SFO investigation is taking time.
Why? Well we must look at the bigger picture. Harlequin is not a group of companies in the formal sense, to state that Harlequin is trading insolvently is incorrect. When Ames uses the term group he does so to impress judges, jurys, or the common folk out there. But it is wrong to refer to Harlequin as a group. Dave Ames, his wife and son are directors of a myriad of companies, but all are seperate legal entities.
When Ames refers to “his” investors, again he is deliberately misleading all and sundry, Ames has no investors, you have 6,000 individuals according to RL who have paid deposits to purchase 9,000 properties, the purchasers themselves could call them selves investors, as they are investing in properties which were originally supposed to provide them with a guaranteed return, albeit for 2-5 or 10 years, but they were not investors in Harlequin, no purchaser has a share holding in any of Ames’s businesses.
Nor do they have any rights as “investors”. All the purchasers are doing is buying a property off a developer, no other property developer in the World refers to purchasers of free hold properties as “his” investors. They can’t be, they have not invested in any of Ames’s companies, this is bizarrely a good thing.
Most of Ames’s businesses are illiquid, many because they are dormant and hold no assets, the companies which Ames has entered into contracts with purchasers are insolvent, why ? Because Ames is unable to pay debts as they fall due. What are these debts you may ask, these debts are the penalty clauses in the contracts if Ames fails to deliver properties on time.
So why is he still trading if that’s the case?
This is because a small number of purchasers have taken legal action against Ames, in the majority of cases Ames has had adverse judgments against him and his companies but he has challenged the judgments, of course if he feels he has grounds in which to challenge the judgments he is well within his rights to do so. He also counter claims against most purchases taking legal action against him or his companies, and this allows the cases to be delayed.
Most purchasers believe that they must take action against Ames in St. Vincent. This however is not true, indeed St. Vincent may not be the best place to commence legal action against Ames, for one the court system in St. Vincent is too small to handle the volume of cases arising from the Ames debacle. But St. Vincent is a part of the Eastern Caribbean court system, so a case can be brought against Ames and his companies in any member state which is a part of the Eastern Caribbean court system. Stat Demands for example could be issued through the courts in St. Lucia, or another country where Ames has no presence and thus reduces the potential for political influence on the matters.
Reading Ames’ bizarre up date on H Barbados, he refers to the fact that he looked at a number of options which included selling the hotel site, let’s not forget something here, the H Barbados was not purchased by the Harlequin Group, this does not exist. It was probably purchased by a company owned by Dave Ames, but even this we don’t know, because like St. Vincent Ames has filed no accounts in Barbados.
The question is why not?
Does he not have any active companies in Barbados?
If he does not then he is not required to file accounts, which begs the question which one of Ames’ companies owns the asset known as H Barbados. And furthermore the H Barbados was purchased not using Ames’ cash but purchasers cash, yet Ames was considering options which included selling this, and whilst he refers to purchasers as investors he has never once stated how much of purchasers monies were used in the aquisition of the H Barbados site.
Where is his fiduciary duty to inform his investors of such facts. But he doesn’t have to because their not investors.
So Ames can take your cash and throw it at anything he decides he wants to. There has been much talk about a lack of contract with the Irish builder, but what about the purchase contracts Ames has or hasn’t got for land he claims to have purchased ?
Then you have the purchase of properties in Dubai and else where, Ames claims to own properties in Thailand for example, but foreign nationals cannot under Thai law own property there, so how can Ames claim this. And how many properties does Ames actually own in Dubai?
He could easily get property he and ultimately purchasers have paid for registered in a third party name.
When people refer to the missing millions, few if ever mention the cost of the mortgage / finance payments Ames was paying on behalf of purchasers who had raised loans to pay their deposits. And many are too afraid to speak out because they lied in their loan mortgage applications and in doing so comitted a fraudulent offence.
The Investigation into Ames and his companies is huge, Ames will not only drag agents into this but many purchasers who lied in their mortgage applications will find that both their credit ratings and relationships with their banks will also take a nose dive. Ironically it is this fear by the purchasers given that they too could be sanctioned for their fraudulent behaviour that keeps Ames alive. Let’s face it who wants to implicate themselves in a fraud. And Ames is hoping this fear will prevent people from talking.
Ames will be remembered not for redefining luxury in the Caribbean but for the lasting legacy of the thousands of lives he ruined on his egotistical journey to be loved by the rich and famous.
Anonymous
December 15, 2014 at 4:04 am
Excellent post.
Very balanced post.
I’m a pretty simple person, but do have a bit of common sense.
A twice bankrupt man, with a resort not making any money, with more stat demands than you can shake a stick at, a freezing order against his personal assets – wants to raise finance!!
I’m I missing something????????
Finally a good post. I was reading it can take the SFO between 4 and 6 years to investigate a case.
Harlequin will be dead by then. The SFO only have a few years left…. mind you if you were to believe Ames the SFO dropped the case.
A bit like the FSCS supported the trust – lies all lies.
P***ing in the wind. You are deffo missing something. Stat demands? So what. Resort not making money? Wrong. Freezing order? Gone. I think you are missing something between the ears.
There will be no finance with stat demands in place. The freezing order IS still in place.
Harlequins own pet accountant said liabilities exceed assets. So, Bob run along now and drink a box of wine, you silly old duffer.
Excellent post @Anonymous 4:04PM
@Anonymous December 15 9:43, I hope you haven’t lost much.
If the freezing order is still in place why have charges been (supposingly) been placed against properties. Make your mind up. Can’t have it both ways. Now liabilities exceeding assets, was that for BB? Last I heard it was at least breaking even. Now lapdogikins try posting something that makes sense. Who’ s Bob by the way?
Well, the breaking even ‘storey’ was from the mouth of Ames – he NEVER lies does hee hee 😉
The freezing order still stands. See earlier posts of the proof.
Bob, is some daft old git who thinks Ames will look after him for posting his dross on here.
He also has his lacky Ingham to help out when he has drank too much cheap plonk.
He also was daft enough to pay Ames, in cash, and for years thought he was getting a return. Only, to find he had no title and Ames was drip feeding his own money back to him…… what does that look like?
10% return. Job done.💰💰💰💰 envy is not a pretty thing.
Neither is an HMRC investigation.
Only if you have something to hide.
Anonymous 11.32 am is one of two types of individual, (1). He is or represents Ames / Harlequin and therefore adds nothing of value to the discussion or more worryingly he / she / they are (2). Genuine unsophisticated purchasers who have little or no understanding of the precarious financial position that Ames / Harlequin is in.
Ames has been trying to sway the opinion of less sophisticated purchasers through a litany of absolutely appalling lies. I really fail to understand what Ames’ in house legal team are thinking, and what advice if any they are giving Ames.
We know that Andy Regan and Ames both lied openly in the UK hearing between Ames / Harlequin and RL. Andy Regan, an in house solicitor for Harlequin, knew that what he stated in a witness statement was false or knew that the information he provided differed greatly from previous information provided by Ames / Harlequin and senior Harlequin staff in a number of previous cases. Andy Regan committed perjury and as a solicitor and officer of the court, this is wholly unacceptable, does Andy Regan ( another consummate liar) honestly believe that his bare faced lies have not gone unnoticed by the investigating authorities. Another carreer destroyed by the Ames family.
Andy Regans behaviour is an absolute disgrace and Ames is really tempting faith through his latest defamation actions.
Purchasers would believe that Andy Regan would act in an honest manner, this is absolutely not the case in this instance. Andy Regan lied in a witness statement, absolutely no doubt what so ever about this.
Anonymous 11.32 has no understanding of the term trading insolvently.
Let’s say that Ames / Harlequin took £150 million in deposits at Buccament Bay, £ 75 million of this was available to spend on construction with the balance £ 75 million being channelled through an unrelated company HMSSE (now in liquidation), we know that a further £ 25-35 million has been ” borrowed” from non Buccament Bay purchasers to allow the build. Or a gross figure of £ 70 million taken from these purchasers.
Add to this the 10% guaranteed returns, allthough it must be noted that many purchases have contracts with Harlequin Property (SVG) Ltd and others with Buccament Bay Resort Ltd, but Ames has never clarified nor stated which of his many companies owns the Buccament Bay Resort assets or whether they are held by him personally.
In order for Ames / Harlequin to meet his / it’s debts, he / Harlequin would need to have a cash pile or assets that exceed the current liabilities that being the deposit money paid by purchasers.
This being some £220 Million. If Buccament Bay Resort Ltd does not have any assets then that company has a huge debt burden assiciated with a large number of lapsed contracts and as a result would be classed as insolvent.
The same applies to Harlequin Property (SVG) Ltd.
And any notion that the resort is breaking even or making a profit can be quashed in the absense of independently audited and verified accounts which would lay out the details of the financial position of Harlequin, it is also most worrying that Anonymous 11.32 would make any statement with respect to the profitability or otherwise of the operational resort in the absence of audited accounts.
After all that has gone on, it’s shocking to think that purchasers are still willing to take Ames’ word for anything.
It must be noted that the value of the resort will be dependant on the profitability of the resort as based on the audited accounts over a period of years and NOT on the aggravated value as attributed by Harlequin to each unit.
“It must be noted that the value of the resort will be dependant on the profitability of the resort as based on the audited accounts over a period of years and NOT on the aggravated value as attributed by Harlequin to each unit.”
My thoughts exactly.
BB is worth something (probably £25m – £30m) but certainly not the arbitrary figures which have been batted around by agents, Ames and Ladel.
But didn’t Bob Ladel state the BB is worth £500m? And I’m assuming that’s based on 80’s pricing so just imagine what it must be worth today!
anonymous 1.55 is one of two types of individual, (1) . He is or represents an Irish builder and therefor adds nothing to the value of the discussion, or more worryingly he/she/they are unsophisticated trolls who are hell bent on destroying HP.
Paddy has been trying to sway the opinion of sophisticated purchasers who have an understanding of HP position.
It must be quiet in Amman today.
Sid, I believe Ladel was insinuating that the aggregate “capital value” of all the HP “projects” would be worth £500m. This, of course, would presumably be after all the construction work was begun… and completed.
One of the biggest misconceptions HP have to answer for is the difference between capital growth and cash flow. They promised cash flow (10% returns etc), and yet focus much of their “appraisal” values on capital growth (property resale value, resort worth, land value, etc). This is highly confusing, especially to someone who is trying to understand the value of the “business”.
Another ploy to confuse purchasers.
Buccament Bay resort, although will hold some intrinsic value with its land, brand value and location, will not have the cash flows to warrant anywhere near the “$200m of assets”, or even the £500m claims put out by HP aficionados.
Harlequin has funds in the Caymen Islands.
Ralph Gonsales is a sexual predator and should not be prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenedines.
@ Paddys Poodle, so what you are saying is that Paddy is the only one who has an axe to grind with Ames.
I for one don’t blame him, Ames and his poodles had no problem lying in an Irish court. Committing perjury, and Regan sat there through out, listened to what employees of HMSSE had to say to the judge, making it very clear that financial and contractual control of the businesses was based in the UK, then Regan rocks up to a UK court and submits a witness statement that was false in the extreme, as did Ames, and you think this is acceptable?
Sorry my friend, Ames won in Ireland because he lied like a trooper as did his wife and other poodle witnesses, but the lies caught up with them in the CLC case and the RL case, and what was the common denominator in all these cases, oh yeah the authorities, see NDA’s don’t work when production orders are used.
We had some excellent posts earlier once again followed by the usual it’s all the Builders fault which now firmly convinces me that Ames will do all he can to discredit the builder in the hope that it will keep his twitching ass out of prison.
Ames it would serve you well if you just shut up, and got on with the job of starting and completing your resorts. And lest you need reminding, Mark Maloney of Pre-Conco has given you until the 31st of this month to come up with a repayment plan for the monies you owe him. Is this the reason for the panic surrounding the H Hotel Barbados. You are a laughing stock amongst your peers and truly reviled by most suppliers and sub contractors.
You are a truly disgusting individual.
anonymous 3.08 so here we are again. Now what lies caught up with DA in the CLC case and the RL case. This should be interesting. Have RL actually won a case? Have RL actually lost some cases?
Now Anon, 3.18 if you have nothing to do with Paddy, what were you doing in an Irish court observing the actions of others.
@ Paddys Poodle, are you having a laugh ? Ames stated in the RL action that none of his businesses were controlled from the UK. There were many interested parties in attendance in the Irish case including the SFO, representatives of the Government of St. Vincent and representatives from UK law firms with an interest in Ames and Harlequin.
And Ames and his witnesses made it crystal clear in that case that financial and contractual control eminated from the UK.
It’s rather imatterial as those with an interest have the documentory evidence from all the relevant cases, and the authorities will be best placed to use this information as they see fit.
But I doubt I need to remind you of the contempt proceedings that were also filed against Ames in the Davies case, sadly Ames felt for what ever reason that he did not want to contest the contempt hearing instead apparently seeking to settle on the 11th hour with the Davies 24.
If Ames had felt that he had nothing to fear from the contempt hearing then what better PR but to go through with the contempt hearing and win it hands down, that would have gone miles to resurrect his tattered image, but what does Ames do ? Settles and makes the settlement the subject of an NDA.
And what about the defamation case against Wilkins Kennedy and Newman, we know Ames went all the way with the singing pig, quoting the judge afterwards in his updates, let me remind you what the singing pig was about, it was a forum where the build schedules of Ames and the business model were questioned.
Back to the defamation case. Why did Ames not bring that case all the way to court ? A court win would have enhanced his reputation no end, but no, it never got to court, instead we had a settlement, covered by an NDA and we don’t even know who settled with whom. What we do know is Ames lied about an apology he originally claimed he obtained from Mr. Newman, and how do we know he lied about the apology? Because he clearly stated in his conference call a few months ago that Mr. Newman had not apologised, in fact Ames was insensed by this.
Ames needs to stop treating purchasers like fools, does he really think that purchasers still believe anything he says.
Back to the Irish case and appeal, Ames lied through his teeth as he did in the RL case and the CLC case and rolled out solicitors who lied on his behalf, don’t worry Regan will not come out of this unscathed. Of that you can rest assured.
@Anon 3.18. Not Pre-Conco, it’s Preconco. Come on get it right. And it’s funny that an article from 2013 implies that Mr Malony is rather close to people in Barbados who hand out Government contracts.
Heh Paddys Poodle aka Ames Bob Dalligan or whoever you are face facts you are all liars and looks like someone is again blowing you apart. How about you answer some questions. Has Ames got the finance to build, are those who completed getting their returns as per their contract. Will Ames resume the mortgage payments, Will he refund anyone who wants their money back. What happened the trust. Is Ames an honest guy? Has he ever got someone else to register property he owns in their names? Stupid question why would any honest guy do this ? Lol oh yeah we are talking about Ames here. Does Ames understand what Bribery means? Has Dave appointed criminal lawyers yet ? Does he understand how the SFO works? So many questions, so many
So Anon 4.19, which group do you come under. The SFO, representative of SVG or a UK law firm? Or did you just wander in from the street?
@ Anonymous 16.25 you have lost me on Mark Maloney, can you explain what you mean please?
Anonymous 4.32, yes, no. You put which answer you want to which question. I cannot be bothered although some are well known.
Who said I was at the Irish case, I spoke to many who were and after seeing the transcripts and witness statements was utterly disgusted at how far Ames is prepared to go to cover up for the massive failings on his part. I have to say I was disgusted when he made reference in the Irish court to the fact that a Marina had never started. I mean I saw the video did you? Everyone else saw the video?
The man is pathetic. I’m glad the SFO were in attendance as they were in the RL case and the CLC case.
Ames’ trolls will come on here to disrupt, but when they are asked questions they respond by saying that they are not bothered to answer.
And that’s the problem, Ames will never answer a question honestly so why do we think that those who support him will be any different.
welcome to my blog
“And Regan sat there throughout” So this was hearsay then?
Has Ames got the finance to build,
Nope, but he has a letter or letters of intent, and a flurry of banks and financiers queing up to pour money into Harlequin, including the Harlequin Invesment Fund by Caldora, remember that one folks.
are those who completed getting their returns as per their contract.
Very difficult to see how they could be, given that Buccament Bay is just breaking even, the only way to know would be through the production of independent audited accounts.
Will Ames resume the mortgage payments,
No, Ames himself confirms this. But let us see what Ames did, he managed to get purchasers to borrow money from banks and pass the money onto him, risk free to Ames. What I find despicable about this is that dispite the fact that Ames states that these payments will not be reinstated we have some on here who are claiming that Ames’ companies are not insolvent. Many purchasers who borrowed money to hand over to Ames now find themselves facing adverse credit ratings and worse coupled with a drop in their standard of living, yet we have Ames and those who support him gleefully telling us that all will be well.
If Ames has the money and is not willing to reinstate the interest payments as per his agreement with purchasers then to me this is downright theft and am sure this could be a big problem for him.
Will he refund anyone who wants their money back.
Ames has stated that he has, but what we find as per Paul Waltons expierience is that Ames deducts thousands in rather bizarre fees from any final refunds.
What happened the trust.
Good question, we have heard nothing from Ames on this issue for some months now, we will never know how many were willing to join, what we had was Ames asking people to sign what was to all intense and purposes a blank document, this demonstrates the absolute utter contempt to which Ames appears to hold his purchasers.
Is Ames an honest guy?
No far from it, Ames is a liar and a thief.
Has he ever got someone else to register property he owns in their names?
Yes he has, the question has to be asked why he did this.
Does Ames understand what Bribery means?
Yes he does.
Has Dave appointed criminal lawyers yet ?
I would hope so, given that a number of his companies of which he is the sole director and owner are being investigated for serious fraud by both the Essex Police and the Serious Fraud Office. An SFO investigation can take anywhere between 4-6 years.
Does he understand how the SFO works?
Of course he does, why do you think he wants everyone to join a “trust” and in doing so to undertake not to pursue him through the courts for a period of years, furthermore getting purchasers to undertake not to discuss Harlequin or the Ames family during this period, and he understands how the criminal justice system works having had the privilidge of doing a dummy run with his son Matts case.
@ Anonymous 5.16 pm. Master Regan was in attendance during the Irish case, of that there is absolutely no doubt.
Lol, I suppose he can always deny it, deny that he knew anything about what went on in Ireland, deny almost everything, and that is his prerogative.
But it does not take from the fact that he willfully and knowingly mislead the judge in the UK case with RL, I do suppose his defence could be that he was taken out of context, whatever it will be he lied, he knows he lied, I know he lied, and as an officer of the court his behaviour is a disgrace. But as previously stated this is like mana from heaven for the authorities, and if Regan thinks he can hide behind an NDA then he needs to research production orders and such like.
Regan could also try covering his tracks by claiming legal privilidge, but again it does not take from the fact that he produced a manifestly false witness statement in the UK court action.
Anonymous 1.55 decided to try and preach what “trading insolvent” means, yet you say BB is just breaking even. Seems you like to have conversations with yourself, asking all these questions then answering them, even if the answers are a work of fiction.
Anonymous 5.59 pm you really are making a c@€t of yourself, both posters referred to the fact that without audited accounts we will never know the true picture ref Buccament Bay.
If Buccament Bay is breaking even or making a profit, this will be reflected in the audited accounts. So where are they? Yup they DONT exist.
Heh Anonymous 5.59 so are you saying that Harlequin is solvent, as in not trading insolvently. ?
If your not prepared to answer this then shut up troll.
No Anon, Anonymous of 1.55 tried to be a smart arse by preaching what “trading insolvent” means. No one knows so stop making sweeping statements. Poster of 5.58 “are those who completed getting returns?” Answer “bb is just breaking even” Does he know that. No.
Steph, You made some big claims about Richard Inghams Business last night, what puzzles me is;
(a) What is it to do with you what Richard Ingham’s business activities are?
(b) What is it to do with the forum or the posters here?
(c) What is it to do with my investment, how is it relevant?
(d)Why do you state that Ingham isn’t an investor and why would he fake a contract?
Your inquisitiveness is puzzling to me, what are you digging to find or prove?
Or is it just designed to annoy?
@anonymous 6.18 oooh I’m so scared by the keyboard warrior. What’s your definition of solvent? Are you talking about Harlequin or BB? Could be a bit difficult for you to answer those questions.
You see dumb ass of 6.18 let me give you hand. The lead of this thread list 10 companies with the name Harlequin in it. Now go on pick a Harlequin company that you are referring to. Now who is the troll?
@ Anonymous 6.24 Dave Ames stated that Buccament bay was breaking even and was set to post a modest profit within the next few months, he stated this in his conference call in September.
Was he taken out of context perhaps.
Jim Baker stated that the creditors of the various Ames companies exceeded the assets, this coupled with the cessation of the interest payments, which Ames through his companies was contractually obligated to pay on behalf of purchasers, the thousands of contracts which are now in default along with their compensation clauses and the fact that sales of units in the various companies owned by Ames have ceased all demonstrate that the companies are trading whilst insolvent.
The companies are unable to pay the debts as they fall due, this is trading insolvently.
@ Anonymous 6.38.
James Albert Baker did an exercise, he examined all the companies in which Ames controls and he stated that none of the companies had assets that exceeded their liabilities thus giving no value to the shareholders.
Are you implying that ALL Harlequin companies are trading insolvently?
Harlequin travel?
Again it’s purchasers who are suffering,
When oh when will the SFO put and end to this madness.
All,
We have received enquiries from investors who hold SIPP based investments. Many have depleted their cash accounts and are now being asked to personally pay.
Debt collection letters have been issued by Guardian Pension Consultants Limited.
If you have received this letter please let us know. We have written to Forbes Solicitors (who act for Guardian) on behalf of our clients. The last thing you should do is pay the demand. This could potentially set a precedent for the future which would be against your interests.
I love all the intelligent posters coming back – gives me hope that justice will be served after all! Thanks guys
@ Anonymous 7.05, 7.11.
Dave Ames does not have an interest or controlling interest in the company known as Harlequin Travel.
And according to companies house that company is exempt from filing accounts.
Harlequin Travel is a travel agency owned by a Carol Ames, it has no connection with any Harlequin companies associated with the sales of units and the development of 5 star resorts. It is a wholly seperate business and does not form part of any group.
Therefore it should be of no relevance to purchasers, unless of course you are saying that this company obtained purchaser funds somehow…………
And on that note…… It might be worth looking at the last two sets of Audited Accounts, ( well disclaimed accounts) for HMSSE now in liquidation. Lol I mean cmon what did you expect we are dealing with the Ames family lol.
Harlequin Travel has two directors. The original quote was Harlequin is trading insolvently. Harlequin Travel clearly is not.
@ Anonymous 7.05 pm, we need to be reminded here that Dave Ames, from here on in referred to as Ames has a controlling interest in a vast myriad of companies, many that do not have the name Harlequin included, examples Merricks Resort Ltd, Night Jar Ltd, H Design Studio, Buccament Bay Resort Ltd. ……………….. And on and on.
Many of these companies are dormant if James Albert Baker is to be believed, those that are trading all have liabilities that exceed their assets and some of these liabilities were identified as the purchaser contracts. In the case of all the trading companies James Albert Baker confirmed that in all cases liabilities outstripped assets.
With no new cash coming in, contracts which have lapsed and include unpaid compensation and penalty clauses, unpaid creditors, no audited accounts filed for any companies since 2008, and the companies unable to pay debts as they become due or are demanded. Yes all of the companies are trading not only insolvently but in the case of all the companies with the exception of Harlequin Hotels and Resorts in the Cayman Islands trading illegally some having traded illegally for in excess of five years.
So yes we have a double whammy, trading insolvently and illegally, we all know this would not be allowed to happen in the UK. But we are not talking about the UK, we are talking about the Caribbean, where in the past a nod, a wink and a very large brown envelope would ensure that one would have no problems.
Ames has never explained how, even though there are fairly well developed company laws how he managed to file numerous sets of unaudited accounts in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
“With no new cash coming in”? Well that’s innacurate for a start. Completion monies!!
And neither is Harlequin property in Yorkshire, neither Harlequin Travel or Harlequin property in Yorkshire are connected to the activities of Ames in the Caribbean aside from the fact that the former company is a travel agent which sells holidays in the Caribbean amongst other things. That company is owned by Carol Ames and Dan Ames, they just happen to be related to Dave Ames, but there is a substantial sum owed by Harlequin Travel to HMSSE now in liquidation and it remains to be seen if this company is trading insolvently, should HMSSE call in the debt it remains to be seen whether Harlequin Travel would be in a position to pay it. We already know that the two directors of Harlequin travel are not in a financial position to repay personal loans taken from HMSSE now in liquidation,
“Harlequin Travel is a travel agency owned by a Carol Ames, it has no connection with any Harlequin companies associated with the sales of units and the development of 5 star resorts”
If it’s owned by C Ames, she can sell it to pay off the £108,000 interest free loan she stole from investors.
So if BB is only breaking even, which is DA only income stream? How is he paying the overheads to run the Basildon operation?
@ Anonymous 7.51 the completion monies, I’m glad you brought this up, and I will respond comprehensively on this after my supper.
You might find my response most revealing.
@ Anonymous 8.02 a very good question indeed, given Regans and Ames’ assertion to a UK court that the Caribbean operations are not controlled from the UK, the first question I have is who is employed in Basildon and what do they do? If there are no sales and Basildon has nothing to do with the Caribbean operations why include them in the equation. Regan is an officer of the court a solicitor surely he has not lied on the matter?
Let’s read the UK judgement again to refresh our memories.
You can have “something to do with it” without “controlling it” Simple conclusion would you not agree.
If you are 100% shareholder & only director….. you control it. Simple conclusion.
“So if BB is only breaking even, which is DA only income stream? How is he paying the overheads to run the Basildon operation?”
Completions, although I’m guessing that money is running dry (hence the sudden H Hotel resurrection)
Well as DA spends at least 50% of his time in the Caribbean then he controls it from the Caribbean. Simples.
So what about all the other Hotel execs who spend the majority of their time overseas? Their HQ is in the country where they actually manage the business, not where their work happens to take them.
If the money is running dry why did DA not cut and run on H and take the money out of it. Also why not sell Blue?
My guess would be that the operational costs of Basildon are absorbed into the overhead at Buccament Bay, a profit will then only be recognised after you include the Basildon overhead. But my guess is that this is a recent move,
Prior to this and post the administration of HMSSE now in liquidation some of the Basildon costs were covered off by ASOL or Harlequin Hotels & Resorts (UK) Ltd now also in liquidation.
Have we forgotten RL had clients who paid completion money to this company and ELS stated that this money was spent in the ordinary course of business, this company also owes NIS and PAYE to HMRC, given that ASOL HHR (UK) Ltd. did not trade prior to the administration of HMSSE and given that HMSSE sold no more property post the administration of HMSSE and ASOL HHR (UK) Ltd. it stands to reason that completion money was used to crop up this business, but that asks more questions then it answers, what are the staff in Basildon employed to do, we learned from the RL UK court case that there are in excess of 30 employees in Basildon.
And if the company is controlled in the Caribbean, who are these very senior individuals and what office are they based out of?
@Anon 9:50 He kept working on HHotel until just before
Christmas 2013. I firmly believe that this is the time when
he realized that he was running a Ponzi scheme. The man
was just too dense to understand it before…
He is simply delusional and thinks he is a victim.
As Anonymous 8.58, said it is controlled by one person. Where anyone else is based is immaterial.
So Anonymous 10.00, if Basildon is by financed out of BB then BB would be doing a lot better than just breaking even, yes?
Anonymous 10:14pm Doesn’t really matter in the end. If one guy is running the show, its no surprise that HP is in serious crisis. I can imagine him with his notepad out on the plane writing out all those bullshit updates. Laughable if you think about it. Maybe we should ask Trump where his business is “controlled” from? Where he spends most of his time, or perhaps the HQ – Trump Tower NYC?
Harlequin stopped all work in Barbados in April 2013, and not Christmas 2013.
And looking at the reviews of Buccament Bay, the resort is in need of some TLC, as are the staff by all accounts.
But it’s a small sacrifice to make if you want to look after your trusted team back in Basildon.
I don’t think Ames would get away with selling H Hotel under the noses of some of the Bajans owed a considerable amount of money, and given that Maloney appears to have put his cock on the block for Ames, that’s one bajan you don’t want to owe three million dollars to,
The following makes for some interesting reading.
https ://barbadosunderground.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/harlequin-who-is-accountable/
Anon 11:08……..my mistake about the timing but it appeared to me
that Campion remained a true believer
Ah Campion, hmmmmm lol, not as innocent in all this as one might like to think. Former MD of Harlequin Developments, then of HD Studios, now of Argo. Seemed to come into a lot of money very suddenly whilst working with Ames. It would be very interesting to get the accounts for Harlequin Developments HD Studio, I wonder if James Albert Baker had a hand in preparing those accounts. Really interested to know what they might reveal 😉 😉
You and me both – brother !!!
All parties have teamed up with those who have an intimate working knowledge of Harlequin.
It would be silly to assume all the organisations involved in this sorry mess have not pooled their information to bring all this mess to a close.
That’s some cohesive team now, against a little twice bankrupt double glazing salesman.
He has no chance; it just took longer than you think.
HMRC
SFO
SRA
Police
FSCS
CLC
The Irish builder
WK
Insolvency services
Reg Legal
FOS
Pension regulator
MP’s
The list goes on and on, seriously can anyone apart from Robert Storey think this is going to work out?
It is good news Gonsalves that the people of St Vincert and the Grenadines will not vote you in for a 4th term. Perhaps they now recognise you as a rat.
Ooops, I did not include that in the bigger problem. 😉
The bigger problem, yes yes we have all seen this list several times. Very original.
I think the fact that it is true heavily out-ways whether it is original or not.
Only an idiot Sid, would think all is well.
Hello Bob, time for your pedigree ‘chump’
It’s very funny Sid but when the anti HP trolls come along it’s ok, if a counter discussion is mentioned it’s ridiculed. Odd that I would say.
You’re right, we should be open to hearing a counter argument, but the facts really do speak for themselves….don’t you think?
Facts are ok, no problem with that if they are facts. Lots of instances on here of misinformation which is not backed up when challenged. The bigger problem/Mary wood house who posts under multiple IDs just keeps cutting and posting the same stuff. No comment at all on the ownership discussion last night. That’s why he is just Paddys poodle.
Facts are facts, can’t ignore them.
Lets debate then Paddys Poodle, the issue of finance? Is that okay?
The Escrow account that never was? Come on don’t be shy….
Oh dear Mary. Try reading what was posted. No one is advocating a debate on anything. Posts were put up last night which were disputed as factually incorrect. You don’t choose what to debate as you will be talking to yourself
Typical, won’t discuss facts that question the GV integrity.
Is the lack of an Escrow account disputed as factually incorrect. ?
Or the banking error, disputed as factually incorrect?
Or the FSCS backing the Trust,disputed as factually incorrect. ?
Paddys poodle, has more IDs than a chameleon. Ok how do you know there is no escrow account. Prove it.
Ask Mr Ames.
HMSSE did not even have a bank account, so how can it be an Escrow?
Dear me you must have mistaken the similar sounding Cayman Island back account 😉
Why can there not be an Escow account if HMSSE did not have a bank account?
RL got the DD all wrong, Dave said so. And Dave also said he would show us where the DD was wrong. And six months later we are still waiting. Bob or whatever it is says that yesterday’s posts were full of misinformation, fine Bob or whatever it is, you provide facts that counter the points made yesterday, you seem very happy to state that the facts are wrong so you must have the facts which counter these, and Bob or whatever it is, Ames and Harlequin have always, always stated that monies are NOT held in escrow accounts, so if Ames tells us this, it must be true.
@Anonymous, or whatever it is, And yesterday arguments were countered with facts.
I suggest you read the posts from yesterday night lots of statements countered with facts.
How can anyone say that they will publish a due diligence report that shows everyone what they have been waiting to see and then not send it or even mention it again? I’m afraid that can only mean one thing.
HMSSE now in liquidation had a bank account, it was ASOL formerly known as Harlequin Hotels and Resorts (UK) Ltd HHRUK which did not have a bank account.
But the same HHRUK owed HMRC a tidy sum. I wonder how Ames was proposing to pay HMRC if he ever intended to, was it cash in suitcases perhaps? What other way could it have been the company has no bank account.
But was he intending to pay HMRC, we do know that Ames intended to liquidate HHRUK, afterall he stated that the liquidation of HHRUK was a deliberate act on his part because it formed part of the restructuring. Again Ames has just admitted to another criminal act here. Good man Dave, you are handing yourself to the authorities in bucket loads.
Well that’s knocked Mary Woodenhead out of the debate. Cat got your tongue Mary or stuck for a reply? 😷
Paddys Poodle, Bob or who ever, not one of yesterday’s many excellent posts was countered by any facts, indeed on one occasion a Harlequin Troll like your self, probably was your self, who knows, who cares, refused to answer any questions even though they questioned the excellent posts.
Harlequin have never, ever backed up a challenge to negative posts with anything resembling fact, yes they have threatened to sue everyone for defamation, but the Harlecon case speaks volumes, no court case by Ames, a settlement covered by an NDA, so no one knows who settled, but best of all no apology from Mr. Newman. I think that says it all really.
Putting a company into liquidation is not a criminal act.
Ahhhh Paddys Poodle read Mary’s post again, she made a genuine mistake, one which every one else can see, she refers to the bank account in the Cayman islands, the bank account of HHR, and ponders over the similarity between the names, so please stop being so pathetic, you fool.
@ Paddys Poodle 3.05 pm a company entering liquidation in itself is not a criminal act in most cases, however the manner in which Ames liquidated ASOL is. As he has stated, the liquidation of ASOL was a deliberate act, thought about carefully and formed part of the restructuring of Harlequin.
The other thing to note as has been pointed out here, there is no such entity as the Harlequin Group, each company is a completely seperate entity, so when Ames talks about the restructuring of Harlequin he is talking through his ass.
Harlequin is not a company, nor a group, Harlequin is a name used convivieniently by Ames but it is just a name, so how can Ames restructure something that does not exist.
Bob, why would anyone provide you proof on demand? You’ve seen so much proof, yet either claim you got a virus and couldn’t see it, refuse to comment, or just go quiet until Dick derails the thread with his schoolboy filth.
Why not comment on the lack of DD response? That would be a good place to start. Why has Dave not countered the report that was strewn with inaccuracies? Is he too busy building resorts? Is he too busy running a successful international business? Is he too busy writing cheques for investors returns?
Or are we to assume that the RL DD report IS the facts? With the lack of rebuttal should we now assume that RL have put FACTS on paper for all to see? Information that everyone knew already, but didn’t have the data to confirm it, but thanks to a small fee paid to RL we now have the FACTS?
We can all see that Mary made a mistake, except you Bob Poodle Puddle or what ever you like to call yourself.
No one is having a laugh (Laff) and most want the issues debated so they understand their options. I’m really not sure why you are on here at all, your mission appears to be to disrupt intelligent discussion on the issues, you have pointed out on so many occasions that you have no interest in demonstrating that Ames is operating anything other then an insolvent bunch of companies.
Your total lack of understanding of the law and legal matters was made abundantly clear in your post on liquidation, so once again I see little point in you wasting your time on here, but that’s your business, what you do with your day is entirely up to you.
So how can something that does not exist be trading insolvently as claimed yesterday? I think we have a contradiction here.
Glad you clarified your post on liquidation not being a criminal act. A certain GF has liquidated a couple of companies in the past.
Yet another Mary Woodenhead ID By the way I don’t consider £1m a small fee.
So Anon 3.48 (original ID that) you have stated something that is a complete contradiction to what was said last night. So who is right because I challenged the statement last night which you and I agree on. There you see I’m not wasting my time on here. Although it would appear you must be on a far higher intellectual plain to me. (Is Anon really the best you can do?)
No one gave RL £1m Bob. People did give the GV hundreds of thousands of pounds though, for a total of $400m
If you think £1m is a lot, then how much is £400m to you? Do you think investors got value for money?
Poodle you are really demonstrating what a disruptive stupid man you really are, no one stated that Harlequin was trading insolvently yesterday. And it was also clearly pointed out that there was no such entity as Harlequin, it was pointed out that companies owned and controlled by Ames which coincidently had the name of Harlequin included in the name of the respective companies, example Harlequin Property (SVG) Ltd were trading insolvently.
Again Ames comitted a criminal act in the manner in which he liquidated ASOL, I fail to see what relevance GF liquidating any business has to this forum, however not withstanding this, if you believe that GF has comitted a criminal act please explain, and Bob poodle and now anonymous it’s ok, just use one ID……
Bob Poodle puddle Anonymous, please repost your alleged challenge to me last night please, the one where you state that you and I agree on ? I must admit I’m a little lost as to what post you are referring to?
I think you might be getting a tad confused
Paddys Poo del.
You really are as your name says full of poo.
How about the insurance of BB? little wonder Ames managed to take £150k cash off you – Muppet.
You silly, silly old fool if you think Ames will look after you…….. Daft as they come.
Anon 4.04 Anonymous 6.47 last night. Anonymous 4.04am and others, all talked about “Harlequin trading insolvently” Now rather than using your superior intellect (ho ho) to go down the personal insult path 💤💤 go back and read the posts mentioned above. Of course how can HP (SVG) ltd be trading insolvently if it is supporting and paying for the Basildon operation as suggested by a poster last night? Jesus it must be a burden in life to be such a beacon of intellect and genial charm. You really are a pompous prat.
Mary Mary Mary, oh dear you are deluded. And you think that DA has taken £150k off me. You really are clutching at straws now. Or perhaps you are trying to refer to Ralphs discredited spread sheet. And you think I am a muppet.
@ Anonymous 4.23 pm here is the post of 4.04 am in which you state that the poster claims that an entity called “Harlequin” is trading insolvently, so please using your intellect can you point to where it says this. ?
The SFO investigation is taking time.
Why? Well we must look at the bigger picture. Harlequin is not a group of companies in the formal sense, to state that Harlequin is trading insolvently is incorrect. When Ames uses the term group he does so to impress judges, jurys, or the common folk out there. But it is wrong to refer to Harlequin as a group. Dave Ames, his wife and son are directors of a myriad of companies, but all are seperate legal entities.
When Ames refers to “his” investors, again he is deliberately misleading all and sundry, Ames has no investors, you have 6,000 individuals according to RL who have paid deposits to purchase 9,000 properties, the purchasers themselves could call them selves investors, as they are investing in properties which were originally supposed to provide them with a guaranteed return, albeit for 2-5 or 10 years, but they were not investors in Harlequin, no purchaser has a share holding in any of Ames’s businesses.
Nor do they have any rights as “investors”. All the purchasers are doing is buying a property off a developer, no other property developer in the World refers to purchasers of free hold properties as “his” investors. They can’t be, they have not invested in any of Ames’s companies, this is bizarrely a good thing.
Most of Ames’s businesses are illiquid, many because they are dormant and hold no assets, the companies which Ames has entered into contracts with purchasers are insolvent, why ? Because Ames is unable to pay debts as they fall due. What are these debts you may ask, these debts are the penalty clauses in the contracts if Ames fails to deliver properties on time.
So why is he still trading if that’s the case?
This is because a small number of purchasers have taken legal action against Ames, in the majority of cases Ames has had adverse judgments against him and his companies but he has challenged the judgments, of course if he feels he has grounds in which to challenge the judgments he is well within his rights to do so. He also counter claims against most purchases taking legal action against him or his companies, and this allows the cases to be delayed.
Most purchasers believe that they must take action against Ames in St. Vincent. This however is not true, indeed St. Vincent may not be the best place to commence legal action against Ames, for one the court system in St. Vincent is too small to handle the volume of cases arising from the Ames debacle. But St. Vincent is a part of the Eastern Caribbean court system, so a case can be brought against Ames and his companies in any member state which is a part of the Eastern Caribbean court system. Stat Demands for example could be issued through the courts in St. Lucia, or another country where Ames has no presence and thus reduces the potential for political influence on the matters.
Reading Ames’ bizarre up date on H Barbados, he refers to the fact that he looked at a number of options which included selling the hotel site, let’s not forget something here, the H Barbados was not purchased by the Harlequin Group, this does not exist. It was probably purchased by a company owned by Dave Ames, but even this we don’t know, because like St. Vincent Ames has filed no accounts in Barbados.
The question is why not?
Does he not have any active companies in Barbados?
If he does not then he is not required to file accounts, which begs the question which one of Ames’ companies owns the asset known as H Barbados. And furthermore the H Barbados was purchased not using Ames’ cash but purchasers cash, yet Ames was considering options which included selling this, and whilst he refers to purchasers as investors he has never once stated how much of purchasers monies were used in the aquisition of the H Barbados site.
Where is his fiduciary duty to inform his investors of such facts. But he doesn’t have to because their not investors.
So Ames can take your cash and throw it at anything he decides he wants to. There has been much talk about a lack of contract with the Irish builder, but what about the purchase contracts Ames has or hasn’t got for land he claims to have purchased ?
Then you have the purchase of properties in Dubai and else where, Ames claims to own properties in Thailand for example, but foreign nationals cannot under Thai law own property there, so how can Ames claim this. And how many properties does Ames actually own in Dubai?
He could easily get property he and ultimately purchasers have paid for registered in a third party name.
When people refer to the missing millions, few if ever mention the cost of the mortgage / finance payments Ames was paying on behalf of purchasers who had raised loans to pay their deposits. And many are too afraid to speak out because they lied in their loan mortgage applications and in doing so comitted a fraudulent offence.
The Investigation into Ames and his companies is huge, Ames will not only drag agents into this but many purchasers who lied in their mortgage applications will find that both their credit ratings and relationships with their banks will also take a nose dive. Ironically it is this fear by the purchasers given that they too could be sanctioned for their fraudulent behaviour that keeps Ames alive. Let’s face it who wants to implicate themselves in a fraud. And Ames is hoping this fear will prevent people from talking.
Ames will be remembered not for redefining luxury in the Caribbean but for the lasting legacy of the thousands of lives he ruined on his egotistical journey to be loved by the rich and famous.
@Anon 4.42, any fool could see the wrong post was quoted, just like the defence of Mary Mary quite contrary. You could have saved yourself a long cut and paste on that. What about the post of 6.47? Not quoting that I notice. Bit selective there. I don’t claim to have anything relating to your intellect. My excuse I am thicker than you. What’s your excuse?
Jeremy Newman and Paudie O’Halloran are co-directors of Kelltek Group but there’s a third director in the middle east (“The Man from Amman”) who’s also about to get done for libel coz WordPress handed over his emails and IPs.
Kelltek need more directors if they’re gonna keep the bent ones on the straight and narrow.
Merry Christmas Kelltek!! What a shame you won’t be here for the next one.
If he does get “manhandled” over libel perhaps the quality of posts on here will improve. 👋 Ralph.
Well that’s shut the anti HP trolls up for an hour. Even Mary Gobshite has shut up. Of course in anti HP land libel is ok.
@ the Three Musketeers wow so Dave is going to sue some people for telling the truth, lol Interesting, tell me aside from hiding property in other people’s names etc, why doesn’t Ames just get on with building his resorts?
Instead of the same old dog and pony show between the usual suspects.
Get a life Dave. And get a good criminal lawyer (if you don’t have one already) because your going to need one 😉
Can we discuss Matt Ames going to prison for fraud?
How did HMSSE conduct a business without a bank account, maybe it was a cash only bussiness with a shoe box lol
Yes Mary Mary quite contrary, change the subject. Why not. How about a debate on libel? Is it justified. Let’s face it if WordPress coughed up the information they must, or the judge, have been convinced that a good argument had been made. So what do you think Mary Gobshite?
Anon 6.25, you must have some background info on DA buying properties and placing them in someone else’s name? Please share it with us less intelligent mere mortals. Please please, pretty please.
Ok I am a little lost,
Anonymous this is what you said at 4.23 pm , you clearly stated that the very comprehensive post of 4.04 am stated that Harlequin was trading insolvently, now you are saying that anyone can see that this is the wrong post? It must be because that post does not state that “Harlequin” is trading insolvently.
Now let’s look at the post of 6.47 pm by Anonymous, nope can’t find anywhere here either where it says that “Harlequin” is trading insolvently. Nope not here either.
Here is the post
Anonymous on December 15, 2014 at 6:47 pm
@ Anonymous 6.24 Dave Ames stated that Buccament bay was breaking even and was set to post a modest profit within the next few months, he stated this in his conference call in September.
Was he taken out of context perhaps.
Jim Baker stated that the creditors of the various Ames companies exceeded the assets, this coupled with the cessation of the interest payments, which Ames through his companies was contractually obligated to pay on behalf of purchasers, the thousands of contracts which are now in default along with their compensation clauses and the fact that sales of units in the various companies owned by Ames have ceased all demonstrate that the companies are trading whilst insolvent.
The companies are unable to pay the debts as they fall due, this is trading insolvently.
I’m confused and wonder about the mental state of the following posters, Anonymous 5.04 pm you might like to read the post of 6.47 pm that I have kindly reposted for you above. Again no mention in that post of “Harlequin” trading insolvently.
Anonymous on December 16, 2014 at 5:04 pm
@Anon 4.42, any fool could see the wrong post was quoted, just like the defence of Mary Mary quite contrary. You could have saved yourself a long cut and paste on that. What about the post of 6.47? Not quoting that I notice. Bit selective there. I don’t claim to have anything relating to your intellect. My excuse I am thicker than you. What’s your excuse?
Anonymous on December 16, 2014 at 4:23
Anon 4.04 Anonymous 6.47 last night. Anonymous 4.04am and others, all talked about “Harlequin trading insolvently” Now rather than using your superior intellect (ho ho) to go down the personal insult path 💤💤 go back and read the posts mentioned above. Of course how can HP (SVG) ltd be trading insolvently if it is supporting and paying for the Basildon operation as suggested by a poster last night? Jesus it must be a burden in life to be such a beacon of intellect and genial charm. You really are a pompous prat.
Mary Id love to, but I’m leaving this with the authorities to look into, all I can say is that a company “Harlequin Property (Caribbean) Ltd” was set up to hold properties on trust for the Ames family,
What do think about libel laws mr Anon? Want to debate it?
And the question is “is Harlequin Property (Caribbean) ltd ” trading insolvently? Of course you could/would not debate that would you.
I am also quite interested in the post by The Three Musketeers, apparently and correct me if I’m wrong, but the poster appears to be making direct threats against a number of individuals.
I find this to be quite sinister. I’m also quite interested in understanding why the poster named The Three Musketeers now seems to state that it was not members of the Davies Case who have allegedly libelled Ames, for a while we were told that Ames had identified posters who formed part of the Davies case and this is why the Davies case was abandoned, then last night we have some very comprehensive posts followed by what is nothing more then a threat being made against some old foes of the Great Visionary.
Looks to me like someone has well and truly rattled Ames’ little cage, and we all know that Dave Man works for Kelltek, who is Dave Man you ask? Apparently Dave Man was a former business partner of the Great Visionary, so if this is the guy that Ames is now suing for libel, we’ll all I can say is wow,
I’m looking forward to seeing all the filthy laundry to come out of this one.
Ames is really showing how bloody pathetic he has become, another year or two of litigation ahead and I doubt we will see any further development of any significance.
For the record The Three Musketeers few if any of the purchasers really give a damn about anything other then getting something back for the money they have invested.
Please let’s have a debate on libel Mr. Mary, given that you guys will not debate Ames or his companies.
The question is not whether Harlequin Property (Caribbean) is trading insolvently or not, the question is whether it is trading at all. And are those units or the money used to purchase the properties held by Harlequin Property ( Caribbean) Ltd not owed back to HMSSE. I note that Shippleys did say that the recovery of these assets might just prove to difficult, forgive me but how difficult would it be to ask Ames to sell them and pay back the money?
And where are the Ames family finding all this cash in which to engage in even more litigation, Dan and Carol told Shippleys that they were not in a position to pay back the directors loans they obtained.
All very bizarre, but hopefully this new round of litigation will finally bring us the answers we are all seeking.
Eh who has the “3m” made a “direct” threat to? No direct threat at all, in fact the person you talk about Dave Man, is not even mentioned. The 3m did not even talk about the Davies case, so why have you? Who made threats last night? Does Dave Man work for Kelltek, thanks for sharing that. That, Anon, has to be one of the most convoluted posts I have ever read. Perhaps it’s a sign of superior intellect being able to post whilst peering up your own arse.
For the record if I can find out who posted all my personal details on this blog, made discussing comments about my relations, then I am very interested where they live. And yes you can interpret that as a threat.
Bob shut up you tart, you probably put up your own personal details. And your not going to do anything about it so go back to being Paddys Poodle or Anonymous.
Bob – the word is disgusting
Bob the poster did not say that 3m mentioned the Davies case, the point being made was that you were all crowing about the contempt hearing, with the Harlequin Trolls stating that Ames had the IP adresses of posters from the Davies case and as a result the Davies claimants had no choice but to drop the case.
Now it’s Kelktek in Jordan.
And even you Bob have referred to Dave Man in Jordan, so please, you are becoming more than tedious now.
Let me make it clear, 3m is saying that Dave Man is being sued for libel, put aside all the bullshit cryptic messages.
And 3m is either saying that Kelltek or its directors will not be around much longer.
Simple.
Yes the poster did, and I quote “Why the poster named the 3M now seems to state that it was not members of the Davies case who have allegedly libelled Ames”
Again Anon 7.17 is the first poster to mention Dave Man, not me or the 3M. Just repeating the name. So he’s in Jordan, thanks for that.
Put aside cryptic messages? how about false IDs also. Blog would be worthless.
And Anon 8.01. Don’t be so sure my friend. Anonymous telephone caller was tracked down and confronted.
Robert wonder if you could shed any light on whether Dave will resume construction work shortly?
Are the purchaser cases in St. Vincent coming to nothing?
Has Dave now obtained finance?
How is the Wilkins Kennedy case coming along?
Are the SFO dropping the case, have you spoken with them recently?
Are you still getting a return ?
None of my questions are intended to be antagonistic, they are genuine questions which I would like your views on.
Bob you don’t understand English, no surprise there, the poster did not state that the 3 M directly referred to the Davies case, once again the point he was making was that Harlequin Trolls were saying that members of the Davies case had been caught by Ames, now is members of Kelltek.
And the poster did not say Dave Man was in Jordan, the poster was referring to posts made by you on here and on the old RL forum referring to the fact that Dave Man worked in Jordan. You are really playing the idiot.
The answer to the above question is no. I cannot shed any light on any of the questions.
“And even you Bob have referred to Dave Man in Jordan” where, when? Come on mr tedious. I’m playing the idiot? You are the idiot. English good enough for you, my man?
Robert, seriously why are you on here, you don’t even know if you are getting a return, you have no comments to make in defence of the entity some refer to as Harlequin, Ames or his companies, yet you post under multiple ID’s and attack anyone who raises fair and valid points about Ames and his businesses.
Nothing antagonistic about that reply. The question was could I shed some light and the answer was I could not. Simple question, simple answer. Now anonymous 8.46, would you care to reveal your real ID on here. The question is not meant to be antagonistic, just for clarity.
Bob when anyone does prove that you are behind posts on here, you then deny it was you, stating that others copy your ID.
So your just a tedious old fool.
Tell me was it you that called around to that anonymous posters house, are you saying that taking the law into your own hand is correct.
Why not name the people you took action against, go on Bob name and shame them.
Robert no problem, my name is Simon Johnson, I’m an Easynet customer. 87-82-199-37, what are your details?
1 my details are on here in earlier posts
2 I did not say I went round someone’s house, I phoned them up to be told “it must have been my wife who phoned” Gutless
3 I did not post the persons details as I am more discrete than that. Someone else posted his full name and address. That was good of them.
And yes people do impersonate my name. If you cannot accept that so what.
Excuse me sir, you asked for my personal detaiks I have them to you, now I’m asking for yours, have the courtesy to provide them and not just say to go look for them .
Lol Bob shut up you fool, discreet, lol, see its all in your head, all made up, a bit like , no no a lot like your mate Ames, all make believe, if someone had harassed you as you claim you would be shouting from the roof tops, just imagine if it was Mrs Broughton or Mr. Newman who made those imaginary calls, would you still be discreet or did you call the guy and sign an NDA.
Discreet lol, you are some F#%^*$g tool. Lol
Discretion hmmmm, the only time Ames uses discretion is when he is asked any questions in relation to the dozens of companies he has.
When it comes to attacking everyone else Ames throws discretion out the window, but discretion or otherwise, thousands of investors are facing into a new year no wiser then they were this time last year or even this time the year before, and sadly aside from hopefully news that Ames and his family have been finally charged there will be no other good news this time next year.
Sadly Bob does not understand what discretion is, he is directed on what to say and how to say it.
I did attempt to post the latest crazy rantings of PHIG but it’s been stopped for some reason. Absolutely stark raving bonkers.
Simon Johnson, you hardly ingratiate yourself with your aggressive attitude do you. Your details mean nothing to me, Post your e mail and I will send one back to you.
Of course I am not going to post my details on here when I have complained about others doing it, am I? Thats what is called hypocrisy.
Regarding the anonymous caller perhaps this might help “discrete my ass” to understand a little.
1st post)
Private Dick
August 21, 2013 at 10:37 pm
here ya go Bob le Knob a 10 minute walk from your house i’d say
Nuneaton Police Station Vicarage St, Nuneaton CV11 4DW
following his anonymous telephone conversation at 8.27 22nd August 2013
Private Dick
August 22, 2013 at 7:31 am
liar
you are in nuneaton
(there is 1 hours difference due to BFP being on a different time)
This telephone call was through Zen Internet Ltd, the call was made from an address in Wallcrouch Sussex.
Also we have Ralphs (whos ID DA will now know due to the release of his IP address)
Ralph
August 21, 2013 at 10:11 pm
Make sure you give Bob a call or a text on 07825 740788 tell him what you think of him gloating at investors paying for his holiday!
So you see discrete my ass, you really are a prize idiot arent you. I do know the difference between imagination and fact. Read and learn, read and learn
From the reviews over on TA it looks like some elements of the refurb of the BLU St. Lucia were over looked.
The toilets, door knobs and handles, the musty smell, the noise insulation, aside from this the refurb seems to have gone well.
Apparently the “Restaraunts” don’t exist, you eat by the bar, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drink, all by the bar, the pool bar. Apparently the kitchens are not too well stocked, no hot sauce, shortage of burgers. Beans, bread, eggs, wine, minerals ………..
But aside from this all is good.
The beds are so comfortable, but not comfortable enough to get some sleep, even with ear plugs.
No mention of the Pat Cash tennis courts that were under construction in 2011, they must have gone the same way as the Marina at Bucc Bay. No sorry there there alright on the BLU website, as is the Alaia Spa, there used to be an Alaia Spa at Buccament Bay too, an Alaia Spa by ESPA, but that’s gone, but it remains at BLU St. Lucia, or else the website has not been updated.
So crappy food, crappy AC, crappy noise problems, hot water problems, water pressure problems, a spa by or not by Alaia, a Pat Cashless Tennis academy, club, court or at least a picture of one, no beach umbrellas, no beach towels no beach recliners no beach, one bar restaraunt, on coffee shop? Shelf, and three tables
Yeah lovely, buts it’s ok the beds, yes the famous Harlequin Bed, beds to die for, beds to really die for.
Bob is that your phone number. Your post is a bit garbled.
You just said you would not put your personal details up, so the number couldn’t be yours, if it’s not what’s your beef with Ralph?
So Ames asked Automatic to give that particular post to Ames, and from the information Ames obtained the IP address and therefore unmasked Ralph, so Bob Ralph is ????????????
I thought it was the builder, you told everyone it was the builder, Ralph is the builder you said, So Bob who is Ralph???????
And Bob if Ames did not get the IP address for that particular post, I mean why should he? You are not part of the U.S. action are you? Did not see your name on the documents anyone else see them? Then you will never know who posted it,
Indeed it could have been you, who knows. So please ask Dave who Ralph is this time? I mean you said it was the builder, so is it the builder, cmon Bob, lol.
Dear Investors
PHIG is very pleased to be able to wish you all a 2nd very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
After a few months of peace and quiet we are pleased to be able to note that Harlequin is not only still here and in business, contrary to the scare stories of mid-year, but they tell us they are making steady inroads towards the final re-structuring goal we have all been waiting for. We feel that Dave Ames and the Harlequin team deserve credit where it is due that we not only still have a business but it appears to be on a much stronger footing that it was in the turbulent times of April 2013 that led to the creation of PHIG.
We fully understand that many investors have and are continuing to suffer hardship but remain convinced that the only way to prevent losses is to support Harlequin through the lengthy, perhaps elongated, process of re-structuring and be United to Succeed. We believe that we are now beginning to see the benefits of that approach and encourage all investors to remain behind Harlequin to give everyone the best chance of achieving the necessary re-structuring and success.
2014
During the year we have seen the Harlequin Investor Trust documents written and circulated to all investors. We’ve been through the Pink and Orange Forms and debates about those monies, many of which are still not settled to investors’ satisfaction.
There have been various attempts to discredit PHIG and the proposed Trustees and attack after attack on Harlequin with repeated threats of forced liquidation, which have come to nothing.
We have also seen attempts at disrupting the recovery process through presentation of a counter offer and alternative Investor Trust, both of which were demonstrably hollow. A mound of other rhetoric also went into unsettling investors, all of which we stated time after time was baseless and not in the interests of investors. Harlequin rebutted all the claims very clearly.
Harlequin and PHIG and its’ investor members are both still here, determined to be United to Succeed with an investor-supported recovery.
PHIG value added
PHIG have continued to support investors and Harlequin through extensive time being spent, entirely voluntarily, in dialogue with all parties involved, Agents, RL, SIPPs, Harlequin and their advisors, verifying the stories and working out which was rumour and which was fact, communicating as much as possible to investors.
We have attended numerous investor meetings all over the UK, at our own expense, helping to explain the messages being presented by Harlequin, some about the Trust, others covering a wide range of other topics. We were able to help correct many misconceptions and demonstrate the untruths for what they were.
We have spent huge amounts of time responding to investor e-mail and telephone queries on a wide range of topics, providing an investor to investor perspective of the concerns. All of this has helped maintain investor, and Harlequin, confidence and enable investors to consult their advisors on a reasoned basis.
PHIG has also initiated a series of dialogues between the SIPPs and Harlequin with the objective of making future business updates much easier for both parties. These updates are of direct help to SIPP investors going forwards to help with current completions, in the future with mortgages and just how SIPPs, Harlequin and investors will be able to work in an environment of ever changing regulatory demands.
Completions – PHIG and the Harlequin Owners Club
The process of completions has been another headache for both Harlequin and investors. PHIG initiated the Harlequin Owners Club, owners at phig, which has been working very closely with Harlequin to understand just what the SVG processes involve. Owners Club volunteers have created a completion process document to help all parties understand the process and set out who has to do what and when to ensure a smooth completion.
Even local lawyers seem to be struggling to understand just what they have to do, in what order and hence only two completions have been achieved to date. This experience is now being fed back to refine the process for everyone.
Completions are consequently expected to accelerate in 2015 with the finalisation of the Condominium Declaration, which is required for the apartments and further clarity of the processes for Cabanas. Some 120 investors are understood to be in the completion process. Completion not only allows money to be fed into the construction pot to support the build out of the resort but also sends a positive message to all the parties involved
Making money
In August Harlequin finally managed to overcome the bureaucracy and red tape to launch Harlequin Air. Everyone we know who has flown on it gives it glowing reports for service and quality.
The normal holiday profile in the Caribbean is that September, October and part of November are not just low season but in fact closed season for many hotels. Not so with either Buccament Bay or blu. Both have remained open with good occupancy. This is thanks to not only Harlequin Travel in the UK but the now many international holiday companies, such as Kuoni, Virgin, Caribbean Warehouse, Secret Escapes and many others steadily promoting the US market. Dave Ames reports that the Christmas / New year period is fully booked for blu and BBR has limited availability.
H, Barbados construction
Harlequin intends construction at H, Barbados to restart in the first quarter of 2015. A provisional opening date is intended for summer 2016. It is proposed that this will be made possible with funding from installment payments by H, Barbados investors.
If you are an H, Barbados investor and have not received an e-mail in the last week on this subject then please give Harlequin a call. If you are not an H investor but wish to complete then please also enquire about the H opportunities by contacting Harlequin.
PHIG would also like to hear from all of you who have invested in the H Hotel as we feel there may be merit in forming an investor Ownership Group. Please send a mail to to register your interest.
ICAEW update
The ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) has confirmed to Harlequin that it is pursuing a complaint against Jeremy Newman. The complaint will be passed to an independent committee for a decision. Complaints against Wilkins Kennedy and Martin MacDonald are still being investigated.
PHIG understands this action is all part of the ongoing action against Wilkins Kennedy which, as big cases often do, is taking a long time to get to the point of determination in court. A case management conference is scheduled for January, at which time a schedule will be established for court dates in 2015.
Trust registration deadline
A deadline for investors to join the Trust is going to be announced shortly for the first quarter of 2015. If Harlequin needs more time to meet SIPP provider requirements for SIPP investors to enter the Trust, Harlequin will still keep the deadline for direct investors.
To join the Trust all you need to do is download the Deed of Waiver from one of the links below and fill in the sections on pages 6 and 7.
Download the Deed of Waiver document in Word format
Download the Deed of Waiver document in PDF format
Once you have completed the form, please e-mail it back to Harlequin at:
Your support
We continue to receive substantial numbers of positive letters and comments from investors and thank you all very much for your support. It is these endorsements that continue to drive us forward to help create the recovery leading to a return on our investments. That unity is crucial to all of us.
Reminder
Everyone wants a return on their investments, whether Harlequin, their advisors, the various third party firms involved or of course us, the Investors.
There is only one way everyone can have what they want – ONLY ONE WAY – and that is the successful build of the resorts to realise guest revenues. It is, and always has been, as simple as that. There is no other way to satisfy everyone’s needs.
At PHIG we are all investors and we believe that the majority of investors will work with us to do everything possible to ensure we all see our investment succeed. Join with us to promote that success and have the best chance of getting the return you are looking for.
Seasons Greetings to all
United to Succeed
PHI LLP (T/A PHIG)
“Harlequin intends construction at H, Barbados to restart in the first quarter of 2015. A provisional opening date is intended for summer 2016. It is proposed that this will be made possible with funding from installment (spelling error) payments by H, Barbados investors.”
Finance Dave? You don’t have finance do you Dave?
Dave, did you lie about finance? It seems that H Hotel victims are now going to have to pay for this themselves? That wasn’t in the contract was it Dave? You told everyone you had finance didn’t you?
Surely that wasn’t misrepresentation Dave? You know……… misrepresenting the trust which gives you 5 years get out of jail free?
I thought finance meant that you’d be able to build the hotels before people owed you any more money?… as the contracts explicitly state. I thought this was a 100% finance scheme Dave? Where people wouldn’t have to incur any external obligation other than the deposit, which Harlequin would fund?
What’s happened to the finance Dave? I’m all confused
If you are a H Hotel investor, do nothing.
They cannot bully you into a stupid scheme. No build schedule, no budget, no accounts, no building companies & a warning from the FCA not to give the “Harlequin Group” (whatever that is) any money:
http://www.fca.org.uk/news/investments-made-through-harlequin-group
Do not do anything to further this scam. Stop these crooks where it hurts – their wallet. They have broken all their promises, don’t let them break any more. If enough people prevent them from raising money, they’ll go under. They have too much debt. Then the SFO will strike.
Stay strong. H Hotel investors.
Spare Us The Owl Feathers on December 17, 2014 at 12:05 am
Dear Investors
PHIG is very pleased to be able to wish you all a 2nd very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
After a few months of peace and quiet we are pleased to be able to note that Harlequin is not only still here and in business, contrary to the scare stories of mid-year, but they tell us they are making steady inroads towards the final re-structuring goal we have all been waiting for. We feel that Dave Ames and the Harlequin team deserve credit where it is due that we not only still have a business but it appears to be on a much stronger footing that it was in the turbulent times of April 2013 that led to the creation of PHIG.
” No mention of the liquidation of HMSSE or ASOL, nor the HMRC Petition nor the ongoing SFO investigation nor the fact that Carol and Dan can’t afford to repay directors loans, all of which is documented. ”
We fully understand that many investors have and are continuing to suffer hardship but remain convinced that the only way to prevent losses is to support Harlequin through the lengthy, perhaps elongated, process of re-structuring and be United to Succeed. We believe that we are now beginning to see the benefits of that approach and encourage all investors to remain behind Harlequin to give everyone the best chance of achieving the necessary re-structuring and success.
” Who is Harlequin, there is no entity known as Harlequin, and what investors, are they talking about Ames ?, he is the only investor, are they talking about purchasers? Which of the myriad of companies that the Ames family own do they want purchasers to support and what guarantees do purchasers have that other companies will not face the same faith as HMSSE now in liquidation and ASOL ?”
2014
During the year we have seen the Harlequin Investor Trust documents written and circulated to all investors. We’ve been through the Pink and Orange Forms and debates about those monies, many of which are still not settled to investors’ satisfaction.
There have been various attempts to discredit PHIG and the proposed Trustees and attack after attack on Harlequin with repeated threats of forced liquidation, which have come to nothing.
” Two of the Ames family business entered liwuidation in 2014, SFO announced continued investigation in 2014, dozens of new cases were instigated against Harlequin companies in St. Vincent in 2014. Judgments were obtained against Ames and a number of his companies in 2014. ”
We have also seen attempts at disrupting the recovery process through presentation of a counter offer and alternative Investor Trust, both of which were demonstrably hollow. A mound of other rhetoric also went into unsettling investors, all of which we stated time after time was baseless and not in the interests of investors. Harlequin rebutted all the claims very clearly.
” What assets are being placed into the trust? ”
Harlequin and PHIG and its’ investor members are both still here, determined to be United to Succeed with an investor-supported recovery.
PHIG value added
PHIG have continued to support investors and Harlequin through extensive time being spent, entirely voluntarily, in dialogue with all parties involved, Agents, RL, SIPPs, Harlequin and their advisors, verifying the stories and working out which was rumour and which was fact, communicating as much as possible to investors.
” Asking anyone associated with Ames his family or his companies to give you facts is a little bit rich now,”
We have attended numerous investor meetings all over the UK, at our own expense, helping to explain the messages being presented by Harlequin, some about the Trust, others covering a wide range of other topics. We were able to help correct many misconceptions and demonstrate the untruths for what they were.
” How did you manage to correct any misconceptions? And demonstrate untruths? This is hilarious coming from Dave’s brother in law” ” Did you manage to convey all this to the SFO, Essex Police and HMRC ?”
We have spent huge amounts of time responding to investor e-mail and telephone queries on a wide range of topics, providing an investor to investor perspective of the concerns. All of this has helped maintain investor, and Harlequin, confidence and enable investors to consult their advisors on a reasoned basis.
” Jesus when Ames’ companies go down the tubes Id hate to be in your position”
PHIG has also initiated a series of dialogues between the SIPPs and Harlequin with the objective of making future business updates much easier for both parties. These updates are of direct help to SIPP investors going forwards to help with current completions, in the future with mortgages and just how SIPPs, Harlequin and investors will be able to work in an environment of ever changing regulatory demands.
” Mortgages, where is the mortgage finance?” “SIPPs, I take it you don’t listen to FCA advice” ” Are you qualified or authorised to act as an intermediary”
Completions – PHIG and the Harlequin Owners Club
The process of completions has been another headache for both Harlequin and investors. PHIG initiated the Harlequin Owners Club, owners at phig, which has been working very closely with Harlequin to understand just what the SVG processes involve. Owners Club volunteers have created a completion process document to help all parties understand the process and set out who has to do what and when to ensure a smooth completion.
Even local lawyers seem to be struggling to understand just what they have to do, in what order and hence only two completions have been achieved to date. This experience is now being fed back to refine the process for everyone.
“Two completions, surely not, Dave told us there were far more, and hangon a minute, surely Dave knew what the process was before he sold the properties, what its the local lawyers fault, this is really getting good”
Completions are consequently expected to accelerate in 2015 with the finalisation of the Condominium Declaration, which is required for the apartments and further clarity of the processes for Cabanas. Some 120 investors are understood to be in the completion process. Completion not only allows money to be fed into the construction pot to support the build out of the resort but also sends a positive message to all the parties involved
“Purchasers should heed the advice of the SFO and FCA, and consider the situation that those clients of RL who paid over completion monies now find themselves in”
Making money
In August Harlequin finally managed to overcome the bureaucracy and red tape to launch Harlequin Air. Everyone we know who has flown on it gives it glowing reports for service and quality.
” Excuse me, the aircraft are being operated by Caribbean Helicopters and $ 200 a go, nothing to do with Harlequin, even the livery on the aircraft has been changed, and the aircraft are available to anyone willing to pay and not for the exclusive use of Harlequin guests”
The normal holiday profile in the Caribbean is that September, October and part of November are not just low season but in fact closed season for many hotels. Not so with either Buccament Bay or blu. Both have remained open with good occupancy. This is thanks to not only Harlequin Travel in the UK but the now many international holiday companies, such as Kuoni, Virgin, Caribbean Warehouse, Secret Escapes and many others steadily promoting the US market. Dave Ames reports that the Christmas / New year period is fully booked for blu and BBR has limited availability.
” Put a % on good occupancy, and why is Bucc Bay not full or was Dave Ames taken out of context on the issue of occupancy” ?
H, Barbados construction
Harlequin intends construction at H, Barbados to restart in the first quarter of 2015. A provisional opening date is intended for summer 2016. It is proposed that this will be made possible with funding from installment payments by H, Barbados investors.
” Ames gives a start date for H Barbados so he must have the approval from the H Barbados purchasers to fund the project, so why have you followed through with the following”
If you are an H, Barbados investor and have not received an e-mail in the last week on this subject then please give Harlequin a call. If you are not an H investor but wish to complete then please also enquire about the H opportunities by contacting Harlequin.
“Can we have the contact details for the “Harlequin” representative in the Caribbean because apparently that’s where all the Caribbean companies are controlled from”
PHIG would also like to hear from all of you who have invested in the H Hotel as we feel there may be merit in forming an investor Ownership Group. Please send a mail to to register your interest.
“WTF why do you want to set up an ownership group” ” Oh sorry you just need to convince the purchasers to buy into to this hair brained scheme”
ICAEW update
The ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) has confirmed to Harlequin that it is pursuing a complaint against Jeremy Newman. The complaint will be passed to an independent committee for a decision.
” No, Carol Ames made a complaint to the ICAEW and the ICAEW are looking into it, pursuing a complaint lol, just love the use of the English language here”
Complaints against Wilkins Kennedy and Martin MacDonald are still being investigated.
” Well they are taking there time”
PHIG understands this action is all part of the ongoing action against Wilkins Kennedy which, as big cases often do, is taking a long time to get to the point of determination in court. A case management conference is scheduled for January, at which time a schedule will be established for court dates in 2015.
” Can’t wait to see how this pans out”
Trust registration deadline
A deadline for investors to join the Trust is going to be announced shortly for the first quarter of 2015. If Harlequin needs more time to meet SIPP provider requirements for SIPP investors to enter the Trust, Harlequin will still keep the deadline for direct investors.
” Trust? I’m confused, is the H Hotel Barbados included in the trust. And what happens if I don’t want to join?” ” you have to laugh, Ames is in default with thousands of contracts and yet puts deadlines on a trust which is designed to save his hide, really lol?”
To join the Trust all you need to do is download the Deed of Waiver from one of the links below and fill in the sections on pages 6 and 7.
Download the Deed of Waiver document in Word format
Download the Deed of Waiver document in PDF format
Once you have completed the form, please e-mail it back to Harlequin at:
Your support
We continue to receive substantial numbers of positive letters and comments from investors and thank you all very much for your support. It is these endorsements that continue to drive us forward to help create the recovery leading to a return on our investments. That unity is crucial to all of us.
Reminder
Everyone wants a return on their investments, whether Harlequin, their advisors, the various third party firms involved or of course us, the Investors.
” Jesus Christ, Harlequin their advisors and various third party firms already got over £220 Million out of this, also nice to see that the purchasers come last on the list, says it all really ”
There is only one way everyone can have what they want – ONLY ONE WAY – and that is the successful build of the resorts to realise guest revenues. It is, and always has been, as simple as that. There is no other way to satisfy everyone’s needs.
” there is only ONE WAY, what are these guys smoking, how do they propose to get to this ONE WAY, ? The only way to get the resorts built is with an enormous amount of cash, CASH, ”
At PHIG we are all investors and we believe that the majority of investors will work with us to do everything possible to ensure we all see our investment succeed. Join with us to promote that success and have the best chance of getting the return you are looking for.
“Still looking for investors to join I see, how much more will this horse be flogged before they realise that even the bones have decayed”
Seasons Greetings to all
United to Succeed
PHI LLP (T/A PHIG)
So we are into the season of good will, and fantasy.
See PHIG made no mention of the numerous court cases in the Caribbean, no mention of the staff conditions at Buccament Bay, no mention of the ongoing Serious Fraud Office investigation, No mention of the Essex Police investigation, no mention of the HMRC petition, no mention of Matt Ames but most importantly no mention of the Liquidation of HMSSE and the Involvement of HMRC in that process, see Dave and PHIG would want us all to believe that, that wee little problem of some £ 80 Million has just….. Well……. Just Evaporated into Thin Air, just like that ……….gone…… Problem solved…… But IT HASNT. And the big bad boys in HMRC have the funds and time to seek RECOVERY of this wee little debt. So I hope this Christmas that those 120 purchasers considering closing on BBay and those 75-80 purchasers considering pumping more money into that venture, take the time over Christmas to consider the above.
Oh look it’s a shooting star, no no it’s the Finance, and look what’s behind it, yup folks its a flying PHIG.
The things Ladel will do for mon.ey, looking at his accounts he needs it
There seems to be another ‘glitch’ with the bank for Harlequin. I wonder what this is all about?
‘Payments Accepted in Resort
Please be advised that due to having a new electronic payment system being installed in resort we are currently unable to take payment by bank debit cards. All local payment for additional extras such as Excursions, Spa treatments, Professional 1 – 1 sports coaching, boutique items must be made by a recognised credit card or by cash in US or EC dollars. To Confirm we do NOT take any UK banks debit cards for any payment in resort, this must be relayed to all departing guest.’
30 per cent discount at BB for Xmas and New Year
50 per cent off for 2015
@News from Buccament Bay
Is it just me, but would’nt any normal business have:
a) tested it?
b) had a fallback
Need the cash to pay the chosen few salary
@Where’s the profit?
Its for the payroll for the chosen few
Looks like the UK end (that doesn’t run the Caribbean companies) also can’t accept debit cards. How odd – a business that does not accept a payment method used by millions worldwide. This from the BB website:
United Kingdom
Call: +44 (0) 1268 24 24 63
Email reservations@buccamentbay.com
‘We accept credit cards as an option for payment, including American Express and Discover.
We do not accept debit cards as a method of payment.’
Who would want to pay by debit card? With a debit card there is no protection if a travel company goes bust, unlike a credit card.
Surely one would be protected by ATOL.
Not by AS HOL lol
He must live in the same world as the diddy man
According to RL Ames took in just shy of £7.4 million $ 23 million in BDS. in deposits on the H Hotel Barbados.
The 78 units were sold for an average of £ 315,000 each again according to RL. A total of £24,570,000.00
Leaving a balance of £17,170,000.00 to be paid.
Before works recommence some £1.3 million will need to be paid to existing creditors, a further c £ 1 million will need to be spent removing, replacing and making good elements of the construction that have been exposed to the elements and I would guess a further £ Million to million and a half paid in advance to contractors given Ames’ payment history in Barbados.
So just to get the project to a start up position again Ames will have to go cap in hand to purchasers and request an average of £ 49,000.00 from each of them.
This would mean that purchasers will have paid an average of £ 144,000.00 just to get the H Barbados to a start up position. Or a total of 48% of the total price.
Ames is suggesting that purchasers will need to pay stage payments in order to complete H Barbados, in order to do this in a proper manner, an independent architect ( no not Campion), would need to certify the % of work complete, in order for Ames to invoice the purchasers. Given that the purchasers will already have paid 48% it stands to reason that 48% of the H Hotel Barbados will need to be completed at this stage. Is this the case?
Or will Ames be asking purchasers to wipe the slate clean and start afresh?
I fail to see how the latest plan by Ames has any chance of success, unless purchasers are willing to trust him without reservation, and fork out even more money to an individual who is being investigated for “Serious Criminal Fraud” and who has a track record of not delivering on his promises, whatever those reasons might be.
If all that were to happen it does’t change the fact that
H-Hotel still ain’t got no beach. Oh lordy things are worse than
they seem…
Your whole analysis is flawed from the 1st sentence. According to RL Ames took in just shy of £7.4 m $23m (what exchange rate are you using for this calculation) in BDS.
According to RL?
I used today’s exchange rate, what’s wrong with that. Ok I will use an exchange rate of 3.36 if that makes you any happier. This would equate to $ BDS 24, 864, 000.00
3.36 was the average rate at the time the deposits were paid.
@ HMQC well if Ames took a 30% deposit from purchasers for H Barbados then it would only be proper to ask for stage payments only after it was independently certified that 30% of the works had already been completed. There is a standard procedure used world wide by developers to invoice purchasers, you invoice purchasers on certified work complete, Dave knows this, he has been using this system for years.
Ah I see now. What you meant is Bds$ or BBD. Not BDS.
Only Bob the nob and Bob the bung are daft enough to believe each other in the face of such overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Sad, silly old duffers.
@Hairy Mary quite contrary
How does your lady garden grow?
Bob, you’re not going to get investors to foot the bill for Ames’ scam.
Contracts clearly state nothing owed until parts of their unit are built. Either Ames will have to raise the money himself, and invoice the investors (good luck on that one. All the contracts are in breach), or buy back the contracts for the price he was paid for them.
на Лех ты вот это чтоль просил я тут брал http://goo.gl/BKI4qQ
ты посмотри полюбому найдеш то что нужно! Да и намного дешевле полюбому…
————
@anonymous 5.32 do you think I’ve posted something on here to do with H hotel? Perhaps you could tell me what it is so I can see if I agree with myself.
Quote from the PHIG letter,
“Even local lawyers seem to be struggling to understand just what they have to do, in what order and hence only two completions have been achieved to date. This experience is now being fed back to refine the process for everyone.”
Sam Commissiong under cross examination in the Irish case made it crystal clear how simple the completion process was, indeed he was at pains to point this out, explaining that it was so similar to the UK and Irish process,
Am not sure if PHIG plucked their piece of fiction out of thin air, or whether Sam Commissiong comitted perjury in the Irish courts or whether Ames has been feeding a whole heap of utter crap to PHIG, one things for sure Ames will absolutely distance himself from the PHIG update if and or when challenged.
And a further point worth making, if Ames has succeeded in achieving two completions we’ll surely it stands to reason that the same methodology can be applied to all the other completions.
We are talking about selling freehold properties, the Lawyers in St. Vincent have been involved in the sales process of properties for years.
However PHIG make no reference to the issue of land title, we know that 19.5 acres has been registered, but a large number of the completed properties are constructed on land not part of this 19.5 acres, could it be that the lack of completion progress is not down to any lack of understanding by the local lawyers, or any fault of the purchasers, but down to the failure of Ames to sort out the title issues with the land on which purchaser units are built or is it down to the fact that Ames does not have the cash to cover taxes that are due from the vendor as part of the sales process of a property in St. Vincent, taxes that might have to be paid prior to exchange of contracts perhaps.
It is disgusting to see that PHIG apparently want to peddle crap, in order to entice purchasers to join a trust and part with even more cash.
Someone is once again lying on the issue of completions, truly disgusting, I do hope that those in control of PHIG are also under the SFO spot light.
Bob if Ralph did not post your phone number up on here, what’s your problem?
You say Ralph mistyped your number, how the hell do you know?
You are a very silly man. You kept telling us that Ralph posted your personal details on here, now you tell us that well that he didn’t, but you are now trying to say that Ralph tried to, but made a mistake, no one takes you seriously…………..
Bob have you any comment to make on the PHIG update and the apparent lies about completions?
@phone number, you really do have your head up your arse. Is it dark up there?
Storey is waiting on instruction from Ames on how to respond, but it will be along the lines of, “how do you know what Sam Commissiong said unless you were at the court case. Ames has your IP address Ralph, Paddy, we know who you are, ”
And some other such rubbish 😉
Paddys Poodle, have you any comment to make on the very valid points made about the PHIG update ? I for one would be interested in your take on this. I feel that these issues are far more important then any wrongly posted phone number,
Definition of apparent “seeming real or true, but not necessarily so”
Instruction, everyone knows who paddy is. Don’t you? Keep up.
Paddys Poodle, any chance of an update on the finance? Or the mortgages, Or the land ownership issues, the SFO investigation, HMRC, the liquidation of HMSSE, the recurring maintenance issues at the Blu Hotel as referred to on TA, progress at the Marquis Estate, Progress on Las Canas, progress on The Hideaway, Progress on Merricks, progress on the two rivers site, who the contractor is for the H Hotel, the money Carol, Dan, Nicola and Matt owe HMSSE now in Liquidation, the recent environmental problems down at Buccament Bay, the problem with the lawyers dealing with completions at Buccament Bay.
Have you any comment to make on the fact that Sam Commissiong Ames’ SVG solicitor gave a very different version to PHIG in the issue of completions,
Have you any comment to make on how Ames managed to file accounts in St. Vincent without having then audited.
Have you any comment to make on the accounts produced by James Albert Baker,
Have you any comment to make on why individuals would purchase property and have these properties registered in someone else’s name,
Can you comment on the relationship between Bob Ladell and Ames, can you comment on the relatiobship between PHIG and Harlequins’ legal team ELS.
There is so much more to ask you,
@ Paddys Poodle, I did not along with 6000 of my peers pay Paddy close to US 700 million nor did I pay some US 350 million of this to my friends and family, and frankly I don’t care who Paddy is, but we all know who Dave Ames is, and we know that he has yet again failed in business, and his failure has cost us all dearly.
Looks like Bob Ladell is no stranger to insolvency (remember the Pro Harlequin Dave’s Trust)
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-60344-1719038
Can anyone direct me to a website that explains how to post photos
anonymously on this thread. I am on a MacBook Pro.
What is the position of money laundering at BB?
Yes post them to anonfiles, you will find it on google then just post the link on BFP.
explosive, it’s probably done on a low temperature after the sheets.
Anon 10:11 …thanks for the reply but I have tried and its not
working. I was in Bim last month and walked the perimeter of
H-Hotel and took a lot of photos. I just wanted to post them to
show anyone who was considering giving more money into this\
scheme what reality looks likes. Maybe when my two year old
niece comes over for Christmas she can show me how to do it……
Well folks another deadline looms, 31st December for all you lucky folks who want to pay for a hotel room in Barbados. A hotel room that will give you a return on your investment within 15-20 years, It’s possible that this can be achieved, the hotel has no beach, no golf course, is located on one of the busiest roads in Barbados, the rooms overlook the main road and public board walk, and located next door to a five star Michelin rated KFC, according to us at PHIG.
We at PHIG say the H Barbados will be better than Sandy Lane which charges £ 1500 per night per couple, and whilst Sandy Lane boasts two golf courses, Tennis courts and Gyms, along with award winning restaraunts on a beach front location, Ames has demonstrated by redefining luxury in the Caribbean you don’t need these costly amenities, Nor does Sandy Lane come with the celebrity status associated with the Ames and “Harlequin” brand. We have centralised our amenities, If you want a round of Tennis just hop on any one of the dedicated Harlequin Air planes and they will whisk you over to Pat Cash in a jiffy, Pat likes St. Vincent, and the local wild life, if you want a round of golf, well then Ames will arrange for Harlequin Air to whisk you over to St. Lucia, be the first to play on the only Gary Player Future Signature Golf Course in the World, and Harlequin Air who now own Caribbean Helicopters according to the flying PHIG himself, will have you home in time for tea, where The Loo Restaraunt Barbados will feed you with the finest steaks ever to be had in Barbados or indeed the Caribbean, Look out Barbados The Famous H Ice Cream Van looks set to take Barbados by storm. And for the staff in Barbados, yes Dave intends to emulate the award winning Buccament Bay and the perks staff get there, no need to worry about doing tax returns, Dave’s unique business model means you get a Tax free salary, in order not to break the law staff don’t get paid, Ames does this so you the lucky staff don’t have to pay tax. Fantastic.
We don’t want your debit card, no sir, no debit cards at Ames’ luxurious resorts, we want you to use your credit card, see we believe a holiday is a time to spend, so increase your credit limit and come spend it in H, no need to worry about your bank balance, let Visa and MasterCard pay for life’s little luxuries.
And spend, spend, spend in The H Spa, we stock ESPA products, those products you only find in the luxurious toilets on Ryanair Flights or Easyjet flights,
Come to our corruption classes, with classes for all ages, take up art classes and learn how to become a master forger, learn how to confuse in our evasion classes, or come to our litigation classes and learn from our in house legal eagles how to manipulate the legal system so you too can become a millionaire just by lying and bribing individuals,
and after the classes indulge in an award winning ice cream or fillet-mignon sandwich ( subject to availability) , savor the award winning Harlequin branded Foie Gras with Chips, or have your Foie Gras battered. And enjoy a glass of our award winning flat Coke, (subject to availability) in the new H Branded hurricane proof wine glass.
All Dave needs you to do is to put £ 150 k in his Cayman Island bank account by New Years eve, all purchasers who pay the £ 150 K by New Years Eve will get a voucher for the award winning Buccament Bay meaning that it will only cost investors £99 pp to stay at the resort, subject to status.
Dave as had his fair share of problems, he beat Jeremy Newman in the “Deformation” case, he took Jeremy for every penny he had, and folks yes, he will now ensure that Jeremy will never work again, yes folks Dave’s wife Carol has complained Jeremy to the ICAEW and if they do not excommunicate Jeremy she will sue the ICAEW for £ 100 million, money she will give to us investors. The complaint to the ICAEW is part of the restructuring plans for the Harlequin Group, please bear with Dave and Carol.
You can read all about this in the PHIG update.
Dave told us that like the occupancy at Buccament Bay he has a 100% chance of winning the Wilkins Kennedy case, That’s another 80 million or so for the kitty, Dave once explained the difference between him and Donald Trump, Trump needs banks, all Ames needs is liars and bent lawyers, and folks that’s very true,
And as for the Rumours about the SFO, we’ll all we can say is Dave looks forward to commencing litigation against them in 2016. Folks we are talking about Dave Ames here, do you really think that the SFO are seriously going to do anything to him? Cmon its Dave Ames. But in order to help Dave give two fingers to the authorities this Christmas get those cheque books out and send in the cash, get those pens out and sign those waivers, cmon now folks we are all in this together, we are all a team, Dave has the fantastic money making ideas, you guys have the money, we at PHIG (The Award Winning Owners Club) will help you spend your money wisely, even if your not yet an owner, come sample the life style with us, watch us drink champagne and watch real time the profits swell in your bank account, watch on the CCTV located in the owners club lounge the guests as they arrive at the resort, see the close up shots of the Credit Card Machines in use, see the cash in the safe with the uniquely mounted cameras, as owner club members you get to see all this and more, owners club members even get 50% below the market rate for all filet mignon and alcoholic drinks (subject to availability)
Remember folks, the bad days of 2013 are behind us, we all need to bond, remember UNITED we keep AMES out of PRISON, ( subject to lying efficiently) , just sign those cheques, it takes one minute, send us your signed cheques and we will fill in the rest. No need for scarecrows or escrows, just get the cash rolling, remember folks its your investment, Dave is just assisting you to make money, if your not in by the 31st you can’t win, so tear up those old contracts, throw caution to the wind, give Dave new money and watch your money double triple quadruple in no time at all, remember an amazing 15-20 year return on investment, so get those cheque books out, sign those waivers, only a few days left, don’t be let out in the cold this Christmas, give your loved one a Newyears gift to die for, to be a part of history, to be a part of Harlequin, let’s prove that crime really does pay, so get out those cheque bo………………….
You, sir, need a medal.
Pure brilliance.
Who wrote this? fantastic, an accurate translation of the PHIG update lol. Just love it, we are knotted here, a brilliantly intelligent parody and not that I need to point this out but gets the message across brilliantly without the need to engage in profanity, keep up the good work whoever you are.
I guess the laundry will turn up in due course.
Raphs back! 💤💤
Yes “folks” managed to get the old folksy word in 10 times last night/ this morning depending where I have been posting from.
What is this fascination with Paddy and Newman ? Who ever wrote last nights parody made it funny and light hearted to read, let’s face it, it was just as funny as the real PHIG update, but at least last nights post was intended to be humuorus, the PHIG update was far more sinister in that its purpose was to get you to part with even more money.
And I totally fail to see how a complaint to the ICAEW has or will make one bit of difference to the operations of Ames’ companies. And “folks” what about the complaint made to the SRA and SFO about Simon Terry or Andrew Regan? Why did PHIG not mention this, The SRA confirmed to me that they will investigate both individuals but are awaiting the nod from the SFO and Essex Police, and “folks” this is true.
I’m just wondering “folks” is this the real reason Hefin Rees QC walked away from Ames? And not the story being bandied about “folks” that Rees had failed Ames in recent months. Although I do like the latter story ” folks” .
And what about the complaint made to the SFO and Essex police about Carol, Dan, Dave, Matt and Nicola, along with Dalligan, the Stennings, Manderfield / Wooler, Taylor and a few more ” folks”, it’s funny that PHIG did nor does not think that this complaint might have any affect on Ames’ businesses. “Folks” very odd behaviour indeed by the “folks” in PHIG.
If the success or failure of Ames’ companies is dependant on the outcome of litigation then “folks” I for one would not touch this with a barge pole. And it does now seem that Ames and PHIG are placing massive reliance on the outcome of the litigation to demonstrate the success of the business model.
What happens if purchasers do not put money into the H Hotel Barbados? What happens then ?
Is that it, it’s over for Ames or will Ames just sell the H Hotel which he bought using OUR money and will he tell us them that the proceeds of the sale were used in the ” ORDINARY COURSE” of business.
What Money did he use when he purchased property NOT in his name ? Was it HIS money ? HMSSE Money ? Or our Money ?
That is a question I for one would like answered.
Regardless of pretty much everything else, this is a fact.
CASH INVESTORS ARE UP SHIT CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE.
If that’s true Ingham and StoreY have lost quarter of a million between them 😉
So there is a God after all.
I feel that yesterday’s historic news on Cuba will deal Ames’ plans another mortal blow, financiers interests will be in the redevelopment of Cuba, let’s see now, a billion dollars for a guy who even changes the orientation of islands to allow his CGI resorts have sunsets, or a billion + dollars in a region which will attract millions of tourists without the need to lie about sunsets.
Some people have commented on here that no one has lost their money yet, but I definitely feel like I have, and to say that I haven’t when I parted with it 8 years ago, have been refused a refund and do not expect to ever to receive ownership of a property from HP is taking the piss, quite frankly.
Paddys poodle is back in the guise of Angela now. As Sid has said no one has lost any money yet. Perhaps “Angela” you have and you think everyone is as stupid as you.
Thanks for reminding us that DA took Newman for every penny he had. Of course an innocent person would not be out of pocket would he.
Sid the money is gone, your money is gone, Ames professes to be an expierienced business man, he has yet to admit that his business model has failed, now he requires purchasers to make stage payments, in 2009 he boasted how he was different from Donald Trump, he stated that Donald Trump needed banks, but all we have heard from Ames in the last three years is that financiers are knocking his door down to throw money at him,
And the majority of Ames’ time is spent on litigation, how can such a brilliant business man spend all his efforts telling us about upcoming litigation against people who he claims are out to undermine his business, and this seems to include purchasers who have instigated proceedings against him and his companies for the recovery of their money.,
To the poster who thinks that Ames took Mr. Newman for every penny he has, as was mentioned in the excellent parody earlier, it appears that the humor has gone straight over your head.
And I doubt very much that Sid would agree that he stated that no one has lost money yet. Everyone has lost money, with the exception of the Ames family and the agents.
No returns, no properties, no interest payments, no viable plan going forward, yes the money is lost.
The humour did not go over my head, it was the attempt at humour that reminded us of the reality. Surely if Newman had not lost then he would have been able to claim his legal fees back and would not have been out of pocket, no? Of course if he had lost the “deformation” case he would have had legal fees and possible damages to pay. Perhaps someone was just having a laff at Newmans expense.
To be deformed or not to be deformed but why make a case
out of it…
Ok let’s discuss the defamation case.
(1). Ames did not win or loose.
(2). Mr. Newman did not win or loose.
(3). Wilkins Kennedy did not win or loose.
Why ? Because the case never went to trial.
Costs;
Gareth Farchet of RL stated categorically that Ames had told him that Wilkins Kennedy paid the costs, all the costs, not Mr. Newman not Ames.
Then we had the AGREED joint statement where it was AGREED by all parties that WILKINS KENNEDY had nothing to do with the defamation.
Then we had Ames claiming that Mr. Newman had apologised, then some months later we had Ames claiming that Mr. Newman had not apologised.
All of the terms of the settlement were covered by an NDA, so are we to believe Ames or Mr. Fatchett or maybe Ames paid Mr. Newman, or Ames paid Wilkins Kennedy or Wilkins Kennedy paid Ames.
Then we had Carol Ames making a complaint to the ICAEW, now it looks like we will have a public hearing on the matter if PHIG are to be believed, giving Mr. Newman the opportunity to put all Ames’ dirty laundry in the public domain,
That is the way the ICAEW conduct disciplinary hearings, in PUBLIC. And the NDA will be removed for the purposes of this PUBLIC hearing.
And the Parody was excellent,
No wonder BFP is in the top four of the Google Searches when you type in Harlequin Property, well two of the Top four searches the other two being the TA website and the Serious Fraud Office Website, so I think that torpedoes any notions that BFP is not being viewed by the masses.
If Mr. Newman is broke as a result of the actions of Ames, his family and business model then he joins the other 6,000 + hapless victims of the much vaunted Ames business model.
Although I do find it a bit rich that people would crow about others loosing money as a result of the actions of the Ames family, especially given the claims from the Ames family that they are not in a financial position to pay back the directors loans they took from HMSSE now in liquidation, money I might add that was purchasers money in the first place, the Ames family who can’t or won’t pay back a few thousand quid in directors loans yet want us all to believe that they can build over a billion pounds of property.
I see Mr. Ingham is back disguised as ‘Paddys poodle’, mind you with such poor grammar it could be easily Robert Story 😉
From what I can gleam Mr Newman did nothing wrong, unless you think exposing wrongdoing counts.
How come Dan and Carol cannot afford to pay back the money owed to the liquidator of HMSSE and why can’t Carol call Nicola and get her to pay back the money she borrowed?
I wonder how much of the completion money will Carol and Dan pay to the liquidators to stave off potential personal bankruptcy.
If Newman did nothing wrong,”Angela” then why did he resign from WK? A better offer to join Paddy’s construction company? I think not. Also Angela I think you might want to revisit your own grammar. Also perhaps you meant Glean, not Gleam. Perhaps washing the dishes is something you might feel more qualified to comment on. 😏
Does Glean and Gleam need two capital letters?
Yep
Maybe, just maybe, you could comment what it’s like working for minimum wage at your age, Bob?
Ames has always stated that he and his family were we’re delighted in taking the action against the builder, an action which is currently being appealed.
Ames stated on conclusion of the case that the case had taken its toll, but now that the case was over it was back to the core business of Harlequin,
What is the core business of Harlequin? What is Harlequin?
Since the judgment ( subject to appeal) was handed down, we have seen the cessation of construction activities on Ames’ resorts with the exception of the rather odd claims being made by Ames that construction continues apace at Buccament Bay.
We have also seen a constant stream of litigation commencing since the Irish Trial commenced.
We have had dozens of purchasers commence legal action against Ames in St. Vincent,
We have had purchasers succeed in obtaining freezing orders against Ames in the UK.
We have seen Ames settle an action in the UK on the eve of a contempt hearing, all subject of an NDA, a case Harlequin supporters tried to lead us to believe that Ames had won, yet recently a number of charges have appeared on personal propert assets owned by the Ames in the name of CLC nominees, we then had Harlequin supporters claiming that the charges were worthless.
We have seen local suppliers instigate legal proceedings against Ames in St. Vincent.
We have had Ames instigate then drop a defamation case (by way of arbitration subject to an NDA) against Mr. Newman and Wilkins Kennedy.
We have had Ames instigate counter claims against the purchasers taking legal action against him and his companies in the Caribbean.
We have had the announcement of a Formal Serious Fraud Office / Essex Police investigation into Ames and a number of his companies.
We have had the failure of RL to agree the establishment of a purchaser trust with Ames.
We have had Ames commence a massive case against Wilkins Kennedy and Wilkins Kennedy responding by categorically denying the allegations and mounting a robust defence.
We have had Ames commence defamation proceedings in the US, then recently attempting to drop this case on a without prejudice basis, now being objected to, subject to a reported adverse costs hearing against Ames, his wife, son and companies.
We have also been told by RL that a number of stat demands have been issued against Ames’ companies following the RL loss of a UK case on jurisdictional grounds.
Strangely enough we discovered that Mulberry Law had their action against Ames struck out in the Eastern Caribeann High Courts on Jurisdictional Grounds and we have seen a letter from Mulberry Law where they state that they are commencing legal action against Ames and his companies in the UK.
We have seen the liquidation of HMSSE even though Ames was crystal clear that HMSSE would exit administration by Christmas.
We have had the liquidation of ASOL formerly known as Harlequin Hotels and Resorts (UK) Ltd. a company with no bank account.
We have had allegations by RL that completion monies were handed over to this company, we have had Harlequins lawyers state that this money was spent in the ordinary course of business, which business? What is meant by the ordinary course of business ?
We have had a petition by HMRC to wind up ASOL.
We have had a technical glitch preventing the payment of mortgage interest.
We have had a cessation of all new sales.
And we have had a constant stream of diversionary tactics by Ames’ supporters on here and else where in a vain attempt to divert attention away from Ames and his now suspect businesses, now before Dave jumps up and down I say suspect given the SFO Essex Police investigation into Ames and his companies.
But what have we not had
Well we have not had any progress of the resorts,
We have not had any finance,
And we have not had the interest payment glitch resolved.
And what worries me, Ames stated that the Irish builder case took all his and his companies time, but since then we have had a multiple increase in litigation, so where will Dave find any time to deal with the original business, whatever that might be.
He does not work, he scrounges off the ‘folks’ around him. He also needs to address his problem with misogyny.
As do all of the other Basildon trolls.
you are right when you state that ” you think not ”
Yes you are correct Mr. Newman did not join Paddy’s or anyone else’s company, why ? That’s because Mr. Newman established a company called Kelltek and actually they are doing very well thank you.
But not that you would be interested in the success or other wise of Mr. Newmans business, no you appear interested in muddying the waters, is it that Dave and you are jealous of an individual who can be successful without having to tell the world about it, success my friend is based on achievements and not on a litany of CGI’s and Lies perpetrated by a now thrice failed “business” man.
Are you guys that vindictive, we know Carol is,
@the folks who live on the hill does like to make an ass of themselves.
ANGELA where are you? Grammar girl, get in there!! Go for it.
Newman doing well? Kelltek has net liabilities of -£11k!! What a business that is.
Most people who sue others do so in order to obtain compensation for the alleged wrong doing caused.
Ames does not do this, Ames would prefer to attempt to destroy the reputations and livelyhoods of those he litigates against, ahead of any case
He does this in the hope that he drives the other party out of funds in which to fight a case.
That way he can win by default, a business man with a legitimate claim would not do this, indeed he would be hoping the other side had plenty of cash in which to pay any adverse judgment or costs, no not Ames, he and his wife are simply sad vindictive individuals who need any excuse to cover up for their shortcomings.
But they are fast running out of excuses and people to blame, Dave Ames has failed in business, AGAIN, Carol has failed in business, (HMSSE now in Liquidation) so has Dan, a family with no decency, a family that will never admit their failings and shortcomings, a family that have never apologised to their thousands of purchasers for the mess that they have been instrumental in creating,
Brock Hill runwell
nice gaff( belongs to Carol and Dave)
investors you paid for it
Is Paddys Poodle a complete and utter idiot, he gloats about a company with liabilities of 11k, how would he know what the liabilities are? Lol, yet defends a myriad of companies collectively known to him as Harlequin with liabilities of £ 440 million, USD $ 668 million, Bajan $ 1 billion 378 Million, or in EC dollars $ 1 billion 861 Million dollars. And currently no way of meeting those liabilities…….
The folks in Basildon and their merry band of supporters really need to come up with something just a tad better.
Paddys Poodles / Bob or who ever you are, it’s “” The “Folks” who live on the hill”” that being an ID / name used by a poster as in singular.
So to state that The “Folks” who live on the hill (being singular and the ID or name of a poster) does like to make an ass of themselves is perfectly correct. When considered in the singular.
Example
It would be correct to state that Bob does like to make an ass of himself,
It would be incorrect to state that Bob do make an ass of himself.
It would be incorrect to say that Bob do play with himself
It would be correct to say that Bob does play with himself,
I see how the word themselves may have confused you, you
The word “themselves” is used in the absence of knowing whether the poster is male or female,
poodles. on December 18, 2014 at 8:20 pm
@the folks who live on the hill does like to make an ass of themselves.
ANGELA where are you? Grammar girl, get in there!! Go for it.
Newman doing well? Kelltek has net liabilities of -£11k!! What a business that is.
I really don’t give a flying whatsit about anyone else except Ames, I invested in 2 Rivers, now I want my unit as per my contract or my money back.
Can you do that Dave, no bullshit updates about the future. Can you do it now.
@Some sobering facts.
Why if, Ames settled on the eve of the contempt case, are the freezing orders still live?
Are we to assume he never delivered whatever was agreed?
If that’s the case why is he still living in a house paid for by investors cash? Or have I missed something?
The rest of the post makes me convinced that finance, like getting anything back for cash investors is just a dream…….
When will anyone have the balls to end this?
Yes silly me, Dan’s house paid for by investors too…….
And Matts……but I believe Vince Cable has his eye on that….something to do with proceeds of crime???
The dim reaper on December 18, 2014 at 10:27 pm
@Some sobering facts.
Why if, Ames settled on the eve of the contempt case, are the freezing orders still live?
The outcome of the settlement if that’s what we can call it is subject to an NDA, but my guess, and of course it’s only a guess is that CLC learned from the mistakes of others in accepting some sort of repayment plan in instalments. Most judges would look favourably on an instalment plan and my guess is that Ames has offered to repay the CLC clients within a specified time frame, in return the CLC clients and again it’s a guess on my part agreed to possibly suspend further legal action, my guess would be that Ames would have told the CLC clients that he was not in a financial position just yet to start any instalment payments, we do know that Dan and Carol Ames told Shippleys that they were unable to make repayments of directors loans they took out, and it must be remembered that the CLC action was against Carol and Dave and not the companies.
Perhaps Carol and Dave intend to use the completion monies to help pay the debt. If I was CLC I would not have dropped the freezing order until the debt to my clients was satisfied, but again these are just my thoughts.
Are we to assume he never delivered whatever was agreed?
As stated above my guess is that he has offered to repay the debt in instalments once he has cash available to him.
If that’s the case why is he still living in a house paid for by investors cash? Or have I missed something?
Charges have been obtained by a company called CLC Nominees on Honywood Business Park and Cleres Crescent, as of yet no charges are showing for Blue Bell Wood, although I am keeping an eye out for any charges. I assume that CLC Nominees is connected to the Davies case.
The rest of the post makes me convinced that finance, like getting anything back for cash investors is just a dream…….
When will anyone have the balls to end this?
However unless and until Dave Ames decides to sue someone in a UK court we will not know the exact terms of any settlement with the Davies case, however if and when Dave commences a further round of litigation then witnesses summonses will be issued negating the NDA, if I was a betting man this is something that Kennedys the lawyers for the insurers of Wilkins Kennedy will seek to do, which leads me to suspect that that case will also not reach court and will also be governed by another NDA.
Sadly when individuals do have the guts to challenge Ames, support does not appear forthcoming. Lots of talk about taking Ames on but most purchasers will only do what’s in their individual best interests, and who can blame them in one respect, Ames has created a culture of every man or woman for themselves, it’s a case very much of divided we fail.
@anon 8.53, ok let me help you out “”the folks who live on the hill” does like to make an ass of themselves. Let me give you the correct options
1)”the folks who live on the hill” DO like to make an ass of themselves.
2)”the folks who live on the hill” does like to make as ass of him/her self.
Got that dumbass?
If the phrase is used in the singular, as you are implying, then themselves is plural. The word should be “themself”
See you can put your pathetic little twists on things but your knowledge of basic English grammar is sadly pathetic.
@anon 8.36 -£11k are the published accounts. That’s how I know. So wind your neck in you tosser.
Paddys Poodles, you have demonstrated that your are both articulate and intelligent, now could you please possibly tell us what the published accounts state about Mr. Ames’ overseas companies, and what do the published accounts say about Carol Ames’ companies, even those in liquidation,
See I fail to understand why you state that a company with liabilities of – 11k is not successful unless you will be willing to acknowledge that a company with liabilities of £ 440 million would be even less successful ?
Or do you not acknowledge the fact that Mr. Ames’ companies have any liabilities, I’m confused by your reasoning.
See to me a company with a liability of 11k is really nothing much, a company with liabilities of £ 70 or £ 80 million as in Carols company now in liquidation now that’s another story wouldnt you agree,
What about ASOL in liquidation, care to tell us what those liabilities are ?
And what about the liabilities of all the other companies Dave Ames owns.
What are the liabilities of Merricks Resort Ltd for example, which company owns The Merricks Resort.
You are very quick to call individuals tossers, but we are not talking about Kelltek here, we are talking about Ames his family and their companies,
So have you anything to say about the liabilities of any of the Ames family companies.
@ Paddys poodle, I would not be so quick to call someone dumbass, your command of grammar and the English language is not all you make it out to be,
Maybe you should have read the Oxford English Dictionary before shooting your mouth off. And just a tiny little weeny point, Kelltek don’t publish accounts, they are exempt. The information you have on Kelltek you probably obtained from one of those online company check sites where the free information can be notoriously inaccurate, but heh if you need to call someone a dumbass or a tosser, why not start by looking into the mirror.
Just for reference, see below.
USAGE‘THEMSELVES’ OR ‘THEMSELF’?
‘Themselves’ or ‘themself’?
The standard reflexive pronoun form which corresponds to the plural forms they and them is themselves:
I just showed the boys the refrigerator and told them to help themselves.
In current English, they and them are sometimes used in singular contexts, to refer to a person whose gender is unspecified (see also ‘He or she’ versus ‘they’). For example:
If your child is thinking about a gap year, they can get good advice from this website.
In recent years, people have started to use themself to correspond to this singular use of they and them: it’s seen as the logical singular form of themselves. For example:
This is the first step in helping someone to help themself.
This form is not yet accepted by everyone, though, and you should avoid using it in formal written contexts. If you were writing the sentence above, you should say:
This is the first step in helping someone to help themselves.
You can read more about the rules and guidelines about using themself and themselves on the Oxford Dictionaries blog. Here you will find information about the historical and recorded usage of both words.
Back to improve your English.
You may also be interested in
Shall or will?
Who or whom?
Can or may?
Anonymous fantastic response to Paddys poodles, lol, what a jerk, same as the rest of the Harlequin mob and these guys are meant to be representative of Ames and Co. lol, well they ain’t getting any more of my cash. No sir, no way.
-Anon 1:16
Love the English lesson …..but Kelltec is singular , why the
2nd person plural?
@ Paddys poodles, I think I need to take that shovel from you lol, why are you so angry man, it’s over, no one believes Ames anymore, and what happens if Comrade Ralph looses his election, no more protection for Ames. Don’t think 2015 is going to be a good year for Dave, can’t say 2014 was good either or 2013 lol, what comes around goes around my friend. So it might be time you wound your own neck in and to coin a phrase you use, it looks like you are the dumbass tosser lol.
@ Anonymous 1.42, I think whether a company is singular or plural could be subjective, but then I had a look at the Kelltek website and the website refers to Kelltek as a group of companies, so I would consider referring to Kelltek in the plural as appropriate in this instance, if Kelltek was not referred to as Group of Companies then I’d have to agree with you.
But you did raise a good point. Cheers,
Many thanks for the reply, lets hope WK shut short legs down and his family. The money has gone.
@ I think it’s time to stop digging
You make some very good points Sir especially regarding the election in SVG.
I wonder if the GV’s SVG passport will be rescinded?
Thank God someone shut Paddys poodles up last night. We are all getting tired of the arrogance and bullying by Ames and co. Like with poodles way it’s either Ames way or no way.
Who the hell is Ames to give us purchasers any DEADLINES anyway. Ames you’ve MISSED all yours cretin.
Samuel Commissiong is the bent lawyer who represents Ames in the SVG.
He has also given evidence in the High Court,London and Eire and lied on both occasions.Sam will you be coming back to the UK because the Americans are coming?
There does not seem to have been any comment on the fact that Newman resigned from WK. Why did he resign?
Also from the judges summing up of the Irish case, Para 75 “Mr Newman resigned from WK and has now gone into business with Mr Padraig O’Halloran. Together they have set up a new construction and civil engineering company in Jordan” Which company would that be then? Is it the one that is showing a net worth of -£11k?
@ Paddys poodles, care to comment on your knowledge of grammar, and could you please state how many directors Kelltek have? You make sweeping statements so why not back them up, quoting from statements made by Ames to a judge in Ireland is a little bit rich given that Ames lied like a trooper there,
And really what relevance does this have on the current state that purchasers find themselves in.
Why are you trying to divert attention away from Ames?
Why no mention of the massive liabiilities attached to the myriad of Ames’ companies.?
Why no mention of the complaint made to the ICAEW about James Albert Baker?
Why no mention of the complaint made to the SRA about Simon Terry and Andy Regan?
Why no mention of the ongoing environmental investigation into the bathing waters at Buccament Bay ?
Why no mention of the massive award made against one of Ames’ companies in St. Vincent by the labour department there ?
Why no mention of the complaint filed against Sam Comissiong ?
Why no mention of the SFO investigation ?
Why no mention of the Essex Police investigation ?
Why no mention of the numerous complaints made to HMRC ?
I note PHIG failed to update “investors” on all these issues too.
Yet Paddys poodles you seem fixated by the ICAEW complaint made by Carol Ames in a typical vindictive move,
We all look forward to this very public hearing, no NDA here, out of Carols hands now. I for one look forward to seeing Carol and Dave’s filthy laundry hung out for all to see.
You reap what you sow my friend, and after your pathetic posts last night you too have lost all credibility, and if you really think that no one is taking any notice of BFP and the threads on Harlequin, do a quick google search.
Hi Folks, I’m back after a little break
But the Irish builder was found guilty of nicking investors cash – yes or no?
If the agents hadn’t been given such big commissions perhaps more money could have gone into construction?
If Ames was a competent businessman maybe things would have been better. One director twice bankrupt and a son locked up for fraud does not exactly give me a warm fuzzy feeling.
What did the GV wife do prior to running HMSSE (badly)
@ Robert Storey No the builder was NOT found guilty of NICKING investors cash, nor was he found guilty of NICKING Dave Ames cash, in fact as a matter of law he was not found guilty of anything.
The judge said that the builder promised to finish his work by a date that he knew could not be achieved, that is why a finding of fraudulent misrepresentation was made against the builder. Not FRAUD. Now Matt Ames was prosecuted for Fraud, WAS found GUILTY and was SENTENCED to 40 MONTHS in PRISON, is the subject of the PROCEEDS of CRIME ACT and is seeking to declare himself BANKRUPT, like his father has done TWICE in the PAST.
Dave, Carol and Daniel are currently being INVESTIGATED for SERIOUS CRIMINAL FRAUD and other very SERIOUS matters including allegations of TAX EVASION as recently reported to HMRC. And the unmentionable L word.
The Irish judgment is also being appealled and a good thing too given the litany of lies by Ames and some of his witnesses having been uncovered in subsequent litigation.
@anon 12.51 Kellteck has one director, but if that is correct then is the trading position of -£11k also correct. Of course someone could be a partner in a company without being a director, yes? Also I did not quote anything from DA from the Irish judgement, I quoted para 75 which was from the judgement of J McGoven 7/25/13. So as you have got your opening paragraph wrong, the rest is not worth reading, is it. Except of course there has been no comment on the ICAEW complaint made by CA by me. Perhaps you could remind us how that is going. Also why did Newman resign from WK?
Nob rot who had £400 million?
@ Paddys poodles, the judge in his judgment quoted from an incorrect statement made by Mr. Hefin Rees QC on the business relationship between Mr. Newman and the builder.
Mr. Newman resigned from Wilkins Kennedy to pursue a new business venture he and he alone has set up.
Mr. Ames would be fully aware that Mr. Newman attended a number of Wilkins Kennedy functions including a Christmas party post his resignation, having been invited by Wilkins Kennedy, Mr. Ames knew this because Mr. Ames was spending large amounts of investors money on getting private investigators to track and photograph the movements of Mr. Newman and Mr. MacDonald. Indeed when the issue of the legality of the surveillance was raised with Ames’ then solicitors Carter Ruck, they responded by stating that the surveillance from the date of the letter would be carried out in a legal fashion.
Mr. Ames and the Ames family have been totally consumed by Wilkins Kennedy, Mr. Newman and others, spending vast amounts of investors monies on such things as surveillance, I doubt that investors would have been happy to see their money spent in this way ?
Was this money spent in the ordinary course of business? I very much doubt it.
The auditors for Kelktek are Wilkins Kennedy.
So Paddys poodles now can you answer the questions asked of you in relation to the huge liabilities the Ames myriad of companies has amassed, do you consider these companies to be successful ?
@ Paddys poodles, Carol Ames filed a complaint with the ICAEW against Martin MacDonald, Wilkins Kennedy and Jeremy Newman, in much the same manner in which a number of serious complaints have been filed with the ICAEW, Serious Fraud Office and HMRC against The Baker Clarke Partnership and James Albert Baker, accountants for a number of the Ames family businesses, ( you would be amazed what can be found on a train ).
Now the complaint filed by Carol causes a few issues for her and hubby,
If the complaint is upheld there is a very strong possibility that the complaint will have to be heard in a public disciplinary hearing, this would of course allow Mr. Newman to legally breach the defamation NDA and present evidence that he would have presented had the defamation case gone to trial, Mr. Newman is fully entitled to provide as much evidence as he feels is required to defend himself in the ICAEW public disciplinary hearing, Carol of course wishes to have the matter dealt with in private, the last thing she or her hubby needs is to have the defamation case tried by a disciplinary hearing, Carol runs the risk that information which the have fought for years to be kept under the carpet might just surface at the disciplinary hearing.
PHIG made reference to the fact that the ICAEW complaints against Mr. MacDonald, Wilkins Kennedy and Jeremy Newman have formed part of the planned litigation against Wilkins Kennedy, but it is interesting to note from the PHIG update that Carol apparently has asked the ICAEW to hold off on any action against Mr. MacDonald and Wilkins Kennedy pending the outcome of the litigation between Ames et Al and Wilkins Kennedy.
Carol should have been advised by her husbands lawyers that any public disciplinary hearing by the ICAEW ahead of the case between Ames et Al and Wilkins Kennedy could have a detrimental affect for Ames et Al on the outcome of that case.
Like in Mr. Newmans case, the NDA and client privilige would be removed in any public disciplinary hearing by the ICAEW.
What is also interesting to note is that the complaint to the ICAEW was made by Carol Ames in her capacity as the former Managing Director of HMSSE now in liquidation. And not by Dave Ames, which begs the question why not ?
It looks to me very much that Wilkins Kennedy were only acting for HMSSE now in liquidation and not any of the other Ames companies, this does tie in with the defence provided by Wilkins Kennedy in that ongoing litigation.
If Carol Ames has made a complaint to the ICAEW about Mr. Newmans assertion that Ames et al may have committed illegal acts, then all Mr. Newman has to do is point the ICAEW in the direction of the Serious Fraud Office investigation, there is a very high threshold set by the serious fraud office before they even contemplate investigating a particular entity, and it looks very much like Mr. Ames’ myriad of companies met or even exceeded this threshold as the companies are now being formally investigated for serious criminal matters. Mr. Newman could also direct the ICAEW to the Wilkins Kennedy defence where Mr. MacDonald points out that Wilkins Kennedy began to have suspicions that Ames was running a Ponzi like scheme.
All of this aside, the ICAEW investigation will be interesting with respect to Whistle Blowers and any Public Disciplinary hearings into the activities of James Albert Baker will also be most interesting.
@Anonymous 1:41pm
Mr & Mrs A were involved in a dodgy holiday home loans company before Harlequin. This is how Mr Ames got the original finance for the land he apparently owns… I think. Don’t quote me – I’ve read this somewhere and cannot find any references.
Someone on here – I think the famed “Ralph” character actually – wrote that the way the two of them treated some of the loan victims was terrible. They had a friend of the family working for them, and she had to quit on moral grounds. Before she left, she was forced to sign an NDA.
I don’t have any more on this.
The judge in his judgement did not quote from anything. If it was a Quote it would have started with a ” and finished with a “. Of course if this was an incorrect statement by mr Hefin Reece QC did anybody’s defence QC refute this statement. Perhaps you could point that out to us? Perhaps the new construction and civil engineering company is not in Jordan either.
so I wonder why on the 7th Jan 2010 ICE group paid for mr MacDonald and Mr Newman to travel to Jordan? Of course Anon 2.17 you failed to point out the Mr Newman was suspended by WK before he left the company. That would be unusual, yes?
Just received a special request from the Diddyman
@Anon 2.51.
Now lets dissect your latest ramblings.
1) If the complaint is serious (is fraud serious enough?) and is in writing it will be passed to a committee who will hear the complaint behind closed doors, not in public. The results of the committee will then be published. So no “dirty washing” will be aired. Your knowledge of the ICAEW procedures is flawed.
2)Nowhere in the PHIG letter does it make reference to CA asking for the hearing for WK and MD to be delayed. Perhaps you could point out where this is in the PHIG update.
3)How could WK only be acting for HMSSE when their invoices were addressed to Harlequin Property (SVG) ltd. Of course if invoices were sent to an address in the Caribbean does this not confirm the company was controlled from the Caribbean?
4)MD disengagement letter of 2/6/10 is written to the directors of Harlequin Properties (SVG) ltd, not HMSSE
Guess you must try harder with your mis information.
In my back pocket thanks. Mug
Wonder if Dave realised apartments need roofs, electrics, plumbing etc when he was working out costs for building? Would love to know how much he allocated per apartment for materials and labour?
@ Paddys poodles, hence the reason for the appeal my friend, you could also seek clarification from Mr. Rees on the matter but I believe Mr. Ames may have dispensed with his services, I of course will stand corrected if that is not the case, but I’m sure I saw a copy of a letter on that issue somewhere on my desk, no matter I am sure I will find it.
I’m afraid after your lesson and demonstration last night on grammar I won’t be taking any lessons from you on that score.
I am at a loss to see where you are coming from however, you appear to be jumping all over the place yet have failed to answer any questions asked of you,
I have not heard that Mr. Newman was suspended, and I find it rather odd, and agree with you that it would be most unusual given that he was and is still invited to many Wilkins Kennedy functions since he left that firm, the latest being just last week, where I had the pleasure of meeting him in London at a meal and a show hosted by Wilkins Kennedy, but now that you have stated Mr. Newman was suspended could you please direct me to where there is any reference anywhere to the suspension of Mr. Newman or is this just speculation on your part or perhaps something the Ames family may have imparted to you.
I see you are referring to the court transcripts in the Irish case? I’m glad you have them in front of you, because you should be able to confirm what Mr. Comissiong Stated in evidence to the Irish court about the ease at which completions can be achieved in St. Vincent, unlike what PHIG stated in their manifestly false and biased update, I shall return to more aspects of the transcripts at a later stage, such as the false statement made by Dave Ames on the issue of filing accounts, that’s one of the section marked on my copy of the transcripts where Dave Ames deliberately misled the court, I do apologise, you would not have the anottated copies of the transcripts that I happen to have a copy of for the purposes of demonstrating that Mr. Ames had no hesitation in misleading the Irish judge. So that does put you at some what of a disadvantage on that score.
Sorry where were we, ah yes, you stated that Mr. MacDonald traveled to Jordan in January 2010, of course you are referring to the allegation made by Ames in the Irish court case, and you will note from the transcripts that it was denied that either Mr. MacDonald or Mr. Newman had travelled to Jordan on the dates you are referring to, again I fail to see what relevance this has to the thread, but I must point out that I indeed recall seeing in the transcripts a denial that Mr. MacDonald ever traveled to Jordan whilst he was engaged by Mrs Ames company HMSSE.
Secondly Kelltek was not incorporated when you wrongly claim that a trip was made to Jordan. Kelltek was incorporated in the UK in 2012
…………………
Ah now I think I see where you are coming from, yes of course, you are attempting to link Kelltek with Jordan and thus Mr. MacDonald, well for one Kelltek is a UK registered company as you would have seen from the online company check your performed in order to assertain that the company had liabilities of some £439,989,000.00 less than those of Mr. Ames’ companies, therefore giving credence to the fact that you absolutely concur with the view that Mr. Ames is a complete failure. As are his businesses.
How does an alleged trip to Jordan in 2010 that has been denied in court mean that a company incorporated two years later in the UK is operating there????? I’m sorry poodles but you have lost me here.
The new construction and engineering company you refer to is based in the UK, you have seen this yourself so a bit lost here.
Now that I have answered your questions can you answer my question on the liabilities of Ames’ companies.
Someone upthread asked where CA worked before
Before Mistress GV became wealthy and got her new shiny teef she used to work for a company that installed swimming pools in TOWIE houses.
The GV himself installed windows (plastic ones like the glasses at BB).
Anyone wanna see a pic of their pikey-looking old house? No taste at all!!!!
Those pesky apostrophes BSBob get you all in a bother. Is Paddys poodle (sic) or is it Paddys poodles. (sic) going to be tonight’s entertainment.
want to know why good solicitors cost so much?
“from the online company check your performed in order to assertain that the company had liabilities of some £439,989,000.00 less than those of Mr. Ames’ companies”
Classic.
I just pray you’re using a proxy website so little legs won’t get your IP. I couldn’t give two shits if Paddy took investors’ money or not (IMO it was his to do as he pleased, especially without a contract), it doesn’t disguise the fact that Ames had £440m and is now resorting to scamming H Hotel investors to rectify his mistakes.
Thanks for that, yes a picture of the GV humble beginnings could be an inspiration, we can then all aspire achieve GV status 😉
H Hotel investors do not do anything involving the latest scam from Harlequin.
Why would Ames be looking to “recommence” construction on H Hotel when BB has a block of apartments almost completed?
The answer is simple…
The victims of H Hotel are new money. BB has been squeezed of all potential completions, and so Basildon has to try and cajole it out of someone else, that being H Hotel people.
If you’re an H Hotel investor, do nothing.
No deadline exists beyond that which is written in black and white on your contract. If Harlequin want to change the contracts, they should buy them out. Until then, you need to stay strong. This could be the straw which breaks the camel’s back.
Blooming heck another special request!
Anon 4.19. What a pity you cannot read. I stated I was referring to the court JUDGEMENT not the transcripts. Perhaps if you have the transcripts you can point out where the defendants QC disproved mr Reece’s statement that you claim the judge got wrong in his summing up “that Mr Newman resigned from WK and went into business with Paddy”
I notice you have chosen to ignor the points about the ICAEW process and the mis quotation from the PHIG newsletter.
Of course the location of a company is totally irelevant. Why would a director of a company “based” in Preston live in Walton on Thames? Might as well base the company anywhere, Jordan for instance.
@ Paddys poodles please take time to read the following re the ICAEW before making false statements as to how the ICAEW conduct disciplinary hearings.
http://www.icaew.com/en/members/regulations-standards-and-guidance/complaints-and-regulation/disciplinary-committee-regulations
Once again you have demonstrated that you really have no idea what you are talking about.
I also find it odd that you are suggesting that Mr. Newman engaged in some type of fraudulent act, yet Mr. Ames did not see fit in instigating litigation against Mr. Newman on the matter. You sir are making some very serious and unsubstantiated allegations here.
Carol Ames could make an application to have the hearing heard behind closed doors but there are no guarantees that the ICAEW would acceed to her request, furthermore I fail to see why Carol would seek to do this unless she had something to hide.
I now look forward to this disciplinary hearing, and I’m delighted that the press will be allowed to attend, will this action be the straw to finally break the camels back.
To date your posts have been flawed in the extreme, and yet again you have again generated a post which is far removed from the facts, but this is what we have come to expect from those in the Ames inner circle.
The only entertainment tonight Anon is how many IDs you will use tonight.
Subject to regulation 7, the hearing shall be in public. – See more at: http://www.icaew.com/en/members/regulations-standards-and-guidance/complaints-and-regulation/disciplinary-committee-regulations#sthash.rQHLc74c.dpuf
Of course the location of a company is totally irrelevant. Why would a director of a company “based” in the Caribbean live in Essex? Might as well base the company anywhere, St Vincent & Grenadines for instance.
For my son(s) it is Christmas after all.
Anonymous, your assumptions on the process are flawed. You have not attached any information relating to regulation 7. I prefer to take my advice in the form of a direct phone call today where the procedure was given to me.
So are you going to support your other posts today regarding PHIG and Mr Reece in misleading the Judge? And yes fraud does it for me. Sue me.
@ Paddys poodles, sadly for you I can read extremely well, see the problem you have is like Ames you cannot lie properly, the judgment does refer to a ticket “apparently” being purchased for Mr. MacDonald but the judgment also states that Mr. MacDonald did not travel.
But no where in the judgment does it state a date, not to mind a date of the 7th of January, this date does appear in the transcripts, but not in the judgment.
Now poodles I suggest you trot back to Mr. Ames with your tail between your legs and I suggest you remind Ames of another date that does not appear in the judgment nor in the transcript, but a date in later in 2010, at which date a document was recieved by Ames and had it not been for the actions of your mate Ames’ bent lawyers, a document that should have been made available as part of the discovery process, which would most definetly have altered the course and outcome of the Irish Case in the most dramatic fashion, a copy of which will find its way to Mr. Newman along with a whole host of other documents that magically appeared post the Irish case, which again would have thrown the false claims by Ames out the window of the commercial court in Dublin.
The witnesses which Ames produced in the Irish court case will only have Ames to thank for what could unfold in the very public disciplinary hearing, sadly I doubt that Carol will have the stomach to proceed with this very public demonstration as to the lengths the Ames family are willing to go to cover for their own abysmal failures.
Poodles, I din’t post any assumptions – I took the link from the solicitor and posted it on here. The reference material can be found here: http://www.icaew.com/en/members/regulations-standards-and-guidance/complaints-and-regulation/disciplinary-committee-regulations#sthash.rQHLc74c.dpuf
I’ve got no bone to pick with you personally. I’ve been defrauded by Ames and want to see justice done. You seem very angry for some reason.
Are you seeing a return?
Except in a case proceeding under regulation 4, if a party wishes to apply before the start of the hearing for the whole or part of any hearing to be held in private, that application must be made in writing to the tribunal chairman and must be received by ICAEW within 14 days of the date when notice of the hearing is given in accordance with regulation 3. A copy of any written application made under this regulation will be sent to the other party or parties to the proceedings, who will be invited to make written representations to be received by the Institute within 7 days of the date on which the copy of the application was sent. A written application may thereafter be determined by a tribunal chairman sitting alone subject always to the requirements of regulation 7. The tribunal chairman shall give in writing to the parties the principal reason or reasons for allowing or dismissing any application made under this regulation. Notwithstanding any decision of the tribunal chairman made under this regulation or regulation 9 below, a tribunal (including a tribunal at a pre-hearing review) may at any stage of a hearing consider an oral application relating to the proper exercise of its discretion under regulation 7.
Oh dear moron of 5.33. No you cannot read. The only ref I made to the judgement was item 75. This was reference to Newmans business relationship with Paddy, not his travell arrangements. That is from the WK submission. Now if you cannot get that simple point correct how can you get anything else right. Now where does it say in the PHIG letter that CA is trying to get things changed which quite honestly, I cannot be arsed to try and get an answer from you any more.trot off.
Poodles please, lol, you are contradicting your self, judgments, transcripts, WK submissions, calls to unnamed sources to verify something.
Stop making a fool of yourself. So yes let’s take what PHIG stated at face value, the ICAEW have not yet instigated disciplinary proceedings against WK & MMcDonald, great who cares.
The case between Ames and WK which will be public (no need to worry about anything with a number 7) will be of most interest to all concerned. And if Ames looses well it won’t help all his victims now will it ?
But one case that is very much in the public domain, and that is the belief by virtue of the ongoing investigation by the SFO that a serious criminal fraud may have been perpetrated by Ames and his companies,
Yes sir, The SFO and Essex Police investigation into Ames and his companies is what concerns and worries all the victims, I call them victims given that all purchasers are expieriencing financial losses as a result of the failure of Ames and his companies to honour the investor contracts.
Yet poodles you have no comment to make on these matters, merely throwing up a smoke screen.
You seem to imply that Mr. Newman is not worth powder and shot, I doubt he has £ 440 million which would satisfy the purchasers who are now suffering financial losses.
Oh yeah Mr. Newman is a witness for the SFO, damn now I see, tarnish his credibility and hope the SFO don’t use him, good move Dave 😉
Complains about accountants generally come from the clients who can’t or don’t want to pay their bill 🙂
Heh Dumbass, oooops I mean Paddys poodles, so is it themself or themselves, cmon dumbass, cmon know it all, what about your posts last night.
You are so bright, you remind me of Dave, Carol and Dan, oh look Harlequin Travel has a net worth of £ 67,858.00 and cash of £ 78,772.00, so poodles why shouldn’t Carol and Dan use the £ 67,858.00 to pay back some of the purchaser money they borrowed from HMSSE now in Liquidation.
@im not anonymous. Thank for that clear and concise post. It is very similar to the reply I received today. If a serious, and I think we can all agree the subject is serious, written complaint is made then a committee will hear the complaint behind closed door. The result of the complaint is then published in the public domain.
@anonymous 6.17. Well let’s get back to type shall we. You are backtracking so change the subject and try personal insults. Really is that all you have?
@ Paddys poodles, please read the concise post again, an application can be made to have a hearing made in private, the other party can object to this, and it is down then to the discretion of the chairman, so again your post is misleading unless of course the chairman has indicated to you that this particular case is to be held in private, and I very much doubt that this is the case,
But please explain something to me, what if any difference will this make to the situation purchasers find themselves in?
That’s the part I fail to understand, because it does not allow me to sleep any easier and I very much doubt that I’m alone on this.
With all these facts, figures, and insider information flying around can ask a question and I’m not taking the mick.
Why is Ames & Harlequin still going?
Why has nothing been done (effectively) to stop it?
He is just some little Essex man with delusions of grandeur, who is allowed to run rings round pretty much anyone.
Has someone got a big enough pair to stop it?
Hey anonymous dumbass, so is it
“The folks who live on the hill” does like to make a fool of themselves” or “the folks who live on the hill” do like to make a fool of themself(s)
Go on make a name for yourself. Sorry you are only anonymous tonight so far so it will be difficult. Lol
@ Paddys poodles, you seem to forget that you referred to a poster as a dumbass last night even though your own post on grammar was incorrect, did you get struck by a bolt of lightning today, or was it someone else posting with your ID, otherwise your just a typical Ames supporting hypocrite.
And yes as the last poster pointed out you CANT read. You DONT understand English, and you have NO understanding of grammar.
And to use a turn of phrase you seem to enjoy
poke off dumbass…..
Boring anonymous. “IT IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE REPLY TODAY” not the same. It depends on the seriousness of the complaint, which is subjective (you do understand what that means) which the committee will decide on.
Anonymous, full stop after incorrect, new sentence, capital D. Full stop after ID, new sentence, capital O. When quoting someone’s quotation use “. ” Although I have never used the expression “poke off”. There see how “. ” works?
The speed at which the authorities are moving is painfully slow, the average SFO case takes 4-6 years. The SFO have stated that they are working to reduce these times, there is no shortage of people challenging Ames, but when you utilise bent lawyers then life becomes more difficult.
Just take the RL action in the UK, lost over a jurisdiction issue, then take a very similar case in St. Vincent by Mulberry Law again thrown out on Jurisdictional grounds.
I mean how can this happen, had there been coordination between the litigating parties (RL and Mulberry Law) it would not have happened, but Ames successfully obtained an injunction preventing news of the UK apllication being shared with those not connected with that particular case.
Then take all the litigation that is governed by NDA’s or injunctions. This makes coordination very difficult.
Slowly but surely the wheels are falling off the cart as Ames runs out of excuses, 2015 will again be taken up with masses of litigation, you can bet that Anes’ criminal lawyers will be telling the SFO that they need to hold the Wilkins Kennedy case in order not to prejudice Ames’ criminal case,
When that’s over, Ames will seek delays until such time as the Irish Appeal is heard,
He may even instigate fraud proceedings against Mr. Newman as alluded to by Paddys poodles, in the hope this will buy him more time.
There are dozens of cases being taken by Ames in St. Vincent and sadly with all the other cases going on in a very small court, delays will and are happening.
And with all this going on in the background there is little hope of progress on the horizon unless of course investors decide to fund new construction work, by handing over cash to Ames.
Probably not a wise move now that HMRC have joined the fray.
Add to this the abject refusal by Ames to produce any audited accounts for any of his companies and the apparent blind eye being thrown by the authorities in St. Vincent on the issue, all help Ames to struggle on like a cockroach,
It is not the fault of individuals they have and continue to protest their cases.
Is it true Ames can get the court case shelved in SVG? He eluded to this when I met him.
RL, Mulberry Law, probably CLC all fighting like rats in a sack. The smell of money to be made for the litigation companies. But exactly how much have any of their clients received back. Perhaps some lucky recipient can come on here and inform us. Or how about someone from the three companies mentioned can tell us. Not like them to be so shy.
Jealously Bob, a terrible thing.
The last whisper on the street was they were all getting along nicely, £400 million plenty to go round 😉
The following was how Dave Ames was described on the Harlequin Hotels and Resorts website until very recently.
“Dave Ames is a British Entrepreneur who has had a range of successful businesses in the UK over the last 30 years.
A visionary and creator, Dave Ames has designed business models and systems which are unique in their market place. It is this that defines Harlequin Group’s competitive advantage in the market place and provides the impetus for an entrepreneur who is constantly seizing new opportunities, identifying new markets and revolutionising market places.
He has a unique skill in recognising opportunities and managing economic mechanisms to turn resources and situations into practical account.The Harlequin brand has seen considerable growth over the last three years, supported by the sales mechanism of Harlequin Property and 3,000 independent property brokers throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide.
His dynamic, forward-thinking approach and drive have led him to create ground-breaking concepts that have evoked a revolution of the investment property and destination resort markets.”
The following is of real interest.
“He has a unique skill in recognising opportunities and managing economic mechanisms to turn resources and situations into practical account.”
Ames’ unique skill in managing economic mechanisms did not include financial management and the preparation of audited accounts for his various companies, furthermore and what is even more worrying is the fact that Dave Ames comitted perjury on the issue of filing accounts in St. Vincent. By law the accounts Dave Ames should have filed in St. Vincent should have been audited, so who allowed Dave Ames file accounts that have NOT been audited, because this is exactly what has happened.
Many here may not recall, but Carol Ames attacked BDO when they refused to sign off the final set of accounts prior to the administration of HMSSE now in Adminstration, she made it clear that she felt that BDO had not understood the accounts and really had no idea what they were doing.
It’s been 4.5 years since Ames instigated legal proceedings against Mr. O’ Halloran and his group of companies, Wilkins Kennedy resigned 4.5 years ago, That’s a long time you would agree yet in that 4.5 years Ames has not produced a single set of audited verifiable accounts, now Ames wants more purchasers to part with more cash, and yet Ames refuses to produce audited accounts which he is required to do by law.
Can we trust a guy who can’t after 4.5 years get his accounts sorted.
What others might not know, but David Edward Ames took nearly quarter of a billion pounds in deposits from purchasers after Wilkins Kennedy had resigned and after the builder departed the scene.
A quarter of a billion pounds is an absolutely huge amount of money, yet Ames refuses to account in a proper and transparent manner how these funds were spent.
Dave Ames refers to himself as the Chairman, yet as Chairman he has steadfastly refused to accept any responsibility whatsoever for the farcical and shambolic way in which the finances of his many companies has been managed.
For a man who claimed (ultimately lied) that he ran a raft of successful businesses, he continues to blame accountants, builders, lawyers and governments for the delays and problems associated with his companies.
Decent honorable businessmen ( Ames is neither decent, honorable or a businessman) would have accepted that as head of their respective companies, responsibility for the companies problems would have rested with them.
No not with Ames however, the buck does not stop with him, for 4.5 years we have been told the same old same old sob story, how the builder and others conspired to rip him off, but whilst Ames was telling us this tale of woe and achieving nothing in respect of the development of his resorts, he along with his wife and son accepted a further quarter of a billion pounds in cash deposits.
In the 4.5 years that Wilkins Kennedy and the Builder left the scene, Ames and his families, managed to take in c 250 million quid, launch a raft of new “resorts” two additional hotels in Barbados and Jamaica. Ames subsequently blamed the government of Jamaica for the failure of that massive development to get off the ground, and Ames has remained resolutely silent on the issue of the second hotel in Barbados, much has been stated about the refurbished hotel, “Blu” in St. Lucia, but Ames stated that when this hotel opened, it would be closed again within the year to allow this hotel to be completely refurbished. This never happened, and as memories of Ames’ promises wained Ames never again made any reference to the plans to renovate Blu. Again the losers here are the purchasers, the scale of missrepresentations made by Ames and his companies is quite frankly on an unprecedented scale.
Yet Ames continues to lay blame with a number of individuals where Ames’ claim is for less than 1.5 % of deposits taken.
And tonight we have the return of posters who ask what have independent law firms achieved, these posters would want purchasers to sit back and take no action, had Ames’ in house solicitors not behaved in the most abhorrent way possible, then yes we would have seen achievements by these independent firms, there is a code of ethics which solicitors maintain, few solicitors expect their peers to act in the criminal manner in which a number of Ames’ in house solicitors have acted, but what’s sad is that Ames will not accept, despite the obvious weight of evidence to demonstrate that he is in default with respect to thousands of contracts, that he as Chairman must take responsibility, on the contrary we have Ames gloat about the fact that he will counter sue any purchasers who seek to engage in litigation against him.
So is this a man we can trust with even more cash.
Seriously ?
@ Anonymous 9.28
I look forward to 2015!
I simply don’t understand how someone can go on this long and not provide what he was paid to do.
He’s spat his dummy out over getting “ripped off” by a dodgy builder (which had no contract), and is now pursuing litigation all around the world (with who’s money?).
The reality is actually quite simple.
David Ames signed contracts for the deposits on over 9000 (according to RL) “properties”. The people who signed these contracts were under the impression that they’d provide the 30% themselves, and then rely on Harlequin to set up the remainder.
The “set up” of the remainder is subject to debate. The latter contracts do not mention “guaranteed” mortgages (although they were sold as such), and simply allude to Harlequin “arranging finance if possible” (or words to that extent).
The dates of these contracts range for 8 years ago to last year (2013), when Harlequin was hit with an SFO investigation.
If you’re to believe the Harlequin camp, if the dodgy builder had not put his hands in the till, “everything would be okay”. However, you must realize something very important. This is vital, as if it is true, would definitely signal the workings of a scheme.
I talked to Harlequin last year about their problems, and they mentioned one fact which no-one has considered…
They mentioned that cash flow had stopped because “sales were no longer occurring”.
Let me explain the gravity of this.
In order for Harlequin to build Buccament Bay, it has taken in £440m of deposits (they bought Blu and H). Each deposit represents a contract with an individual who has paid 30% on a “unit” in a hotel resort. The remaining 70% is to be funded by finance set up; security provided by Harlequin (hence the “virtual” nature of the mortgage).
This means that in order to build more of BB, and thus provide financial institutions (banks) with verifiable security for their loan, Harlequin needed more “deposits” (cash) to pay builders & staff to get more cabanas built.
If that finance was not forthcoming (which is why Ames blames the “global economy”), the company would have no way to build the rest of the resorts except by “selling” more units in new ones, such as Petit Nevis (which never happened despite an email update clearly stating otherwise – although the email escapes me, there is a good rundown of Harleuqin’s activities around the world: caribbeannewsnow dot com/topstory-Letter%3A-Any-information-on-Harlequin-will-be-welcome-19547.html).
This is the situation we find ourselves in today – no funding for the remaining 70%, and is why Harlequin blame the builder & friends for preventing construction.
The argument from Harlequin is that if they were allowed to keep selling (and remember, this is exactly the argument Matt Ames used before he was convicted), there would be no issues today. I don’t know the finances of Harlequin, but I presume that if their goal was to “sell more units”, they’d need at least another 1000 purchasers (£50k avg = £50m) in order to make any noticeable progress at either BB or H Hotel, judging by their current track record (£440m for 140 cabanas).
After that progress, they’d go to a bank to get a mortgage. That money would enable them to begin construction on the next lot of units, which would then allow them to raise another loan upon their completion, and so the process continues. Each loan (provided to Harlequin) would be paid off by the room revenues of the respective hotel, allowing them to use the loan money to build the new units (whilst the revenues are paying off the already-constructed ones).
This, of course, is without any projections for room occupancy, revenues & maintenance (which would likely be handled by the hidden “maintenance contract” with the “hotel management company” Ames keeps talking about). It also presumes all building costs will be budgeted & facilitated, deadlines adhered to, and returns consistent; none of which have materialised.
It also discounts administration costs, land costs, legal costs, commissions and other “costs of sale” (which is why purchasers receive offers of 35% – 40% of their deposit as a refund).
The reality is that although Harlequin might think they have done “nothing wrong”, they have made one major mistake. That mistake is transparency. I am sure that if they had been open, transparent & non-combative with their purchasers, they would have much more sympathy than they do.
Instead, they have lied, cajoled & blamed their way to the situation they’re in today – limbo.
…………
In response to the ardent Ames supporter…. (Paddys Poodles).
I would like to ask how Harlequin would have proceeded had the SFO investigation, FCA warning & court case had not proceeded? At this point, if nothing had gone wrong, where would they be today?
In my simple mind, there only seems like one path is clear – they would need to raise a mortgage on BB and Blu. The mortgage would then provide finance for the purchasers to “complete”, thus providing them with title & Harlequin an income from their room rental (room rent split half way, 50% of it to go to the purchaser, after mortgage payments).
Since they’ve got people in the “completion process” without the provision of a “virtual mortgage” facility (if we’re to believe Ames), you could argue that this part of the plan has progressed regardless of the litigation.
However, there comes an issue when you run out of “completions” to facilitate. This is best demonstrated with H Hotel. Now people are being asked to fund the rooms themselves. Even if they do this, the next stages of the development will be without finance?
Without revenue numbers from any of their existing properties, I am at a loss to see how the rest of the building could be completed?
http://www.instantstreetview.com/2ocvaxz3fau37zadzokz2u
Number 19 st Cleres Crescent on the left a few houses down. It’s the one with a brown garage door and recycling bin outside.
Carol’s Crapodimonte collection must have looked charming in those bay windows.
@ humble beginnings
It explains a lot.
If they lived there in ‘Chavsville’ then moved to Bluebell Wood they really would think they were successful…..
They must have woken up every morning and thought life is good!!
When did they live in this horrible little house?
I hope they end up in rented accommodation, after done a spell in jail.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.9454098,-1.1080943,3a,75y,233.5h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s23opljY8nmheucPEX-DLag!2e0
Does this look like the sort house an investor who allegedly has £200,000, in cash to invest in Harlequin?
Furthermore, this ‘investor’ won’t have a wrong word said about Ames.
Bit odd eh?
Ah bless the anti HP trolls are out today. The lost the grammar discussion, they have been shown up for not knowing the ICAEW procedure, so they are posting pictures of houses. What a pathetic bunch.
Paddys poodles lost the argument on the grammar, Paddys poodles originally stated that the ICAEW disciplinary hearings are held in private, then finally acknowledged that this is up to the discretion of the Chairman, but one does have to ask why Carol would insist on having the hearing in Private, if she or Dave have nothing to hide.
However this is the only talk we will hear about the ICAEW case because true to form Carol Ames will try and stop it now that she understands the process. Just watch this space, you will see. And some 440 million owed to purchasers.
A little over a week to go to the new deadline, a deadline imposed not by Ames but by creditors, the real story behind the deadlines is debts have been called in, and Dave is frantically trying to buy time, once again the staff at Buccament Bay are suffering.
Ames and his supporters will say this is all rubbish, and incredibly will try and convince us that all is well, how can all be well, with a further 30-40 cases set down to commence in January, along with the dozens of cases already in train.
For purchasers 2015 will be no different from 2014 and indeed 2013. For Ames however it looks set to be a lot worse. Another year taken up by litigation and another year older for Dave and Carol.
Ah bless the anti HP trolls are out today. The lost the grammar discussion,
I am a bit confused by the second sentence, “The lost the grammar discussion”
matt ames explained how his father was able to ‘lawfully’ continue selling thousands of hotel rooms while not having funds to complete even a few hundred units ( the conversation took place just before Matt was imprisoned for fraud )
matt first congratulated for my excellent decision to invest with harlequin
( I nearly threw up at that point )
matt continued
“well, as you know , Arsenal is the richest football club in the UK, but even they would struggle to survive if ticket sales dried up. and harlequin were the same, without new sales, the company was no longer able to continue operating.
difference is matt, arsenal did not promise 6000 investors 9000 Hotel rooms, many with 100% finance and guaranteed 10% rental etc, and harlequin , under the direction of your father, did.
see the subtle difference matt
i guess not
@anon 1.36, what part of “if the complaint is serious and in writing” . That is the rider as to whether the hearing is considered to be heard in private. So you see you are, as usual, unable to read posts accurately.
Also is it “the folks on the hill” does like to make a fool of themselve(s). or “the folks on the hill” do like to make a fool of themselve(s)
I have lost no arguments, you are unable to answer simple questions.
Paddys thick poodles appears to be thicker then we originally suspected.
(1). The ‘request’ to have a disciplinary hearing held in private ( note the word ‘Request’ ) is by way of a written submission.
(2). The ‘request’ is then reviewed by the ICAEW. The ICAEW will then make a decision on whether the hearing should be held in private or not.
(3). All complaints to the ICAEW are considered serious.
(4). It’s odd that Carol did not find the complaint, (if indeed she is alleging fraud), serious enough to have instigated legal proceedings against Mr. Newman. (The defamation case was not about fraud).
What is most odd however, is the fact that a complainant would want to have a hearing heard in private, unless of course the complainant might not want evidence produced by the defendant to become publically known.
You ask the following ? This has already been demonstrated to you, but apparently you disagree with the Oxford Dictionary,
Your question?
Also is it “the folks on the hill” does like to make a fool of themselve(s). or “the folks on the hill” do like to make a fool of themselve(s)
The name of the poster was written thus, ‘the “folks” on the hill’. So this is the name a particular contributor has chosen.
So to state that ‘The “folks” on the hill’ (being a name), does like to make a fool of themselves is perfectly correct.
According to the Oxford dictionary, they or them, is seen as the logical singular form of themselves but the Oxford dictionary states that logic does not apply, in the same way as logic does not apply to Ames or his family or their companies.
The Oxford Dictionary tells us that ‘Themselves’ ( note with out (s) at the end, why you include this is anybodies guess) should be used to describe the singular.
You finally finish you post with the following comment.
“I have lost no arguments, you are unable to answer simple questions.”
The above comment demonstrates that you are either attempting to be deliberately disruptive, or that you are in need of some simple basic schooling, (a bit dim or slow), or a bit of both, like most in senior staff employed by Ames and his wife.
Anonymous 4.10 you are indeed tiresome. My information is that neither the instigator or the recipient of a complaint can “request” how a complaint is held, either public or private. By making a written submission, the complaint is automatically considered to be held in private. But it will not necessarily be so.
I don’t know where you got your 1-3 information from, or if it’s your interpretation, but what you and I are saying is the same. It’s just a different interpretation of the facts.
So there is no need for your rather childish and purile personal comments. Perhaps if you read my interpretation of the facts, which were given to me be the ICAEW directly, with a more open mind, you might has seen that.
It would appear that you could have answered the question, a question which was asked following a silly comment about grammar by another poster. Does that mean that only anti HP trolls can ask about grammar. Yet again you have spoiled your rather articulate answer, which no one had previously attempted to answer, with silly purile comments about basic schooling, being dim or slow and being a possible senior member of HP senior staff. What exactly those observations add to the topic is beyond me apart from devaluing the content of your reply.
Where did someone living in a new build aspiring to be something your’re not estate get £200k cash?
Maybe look at the non existent business lol
Why should a washer woman think she could live in Bulgaria and own properties in Brazil and the DR? Perhaps ironing is a cash only business.
Perhaps, a complaint has already been made, perhaps HMRC are looking into the non existent business 😉 of certain individuals in or around the York area? Tick tock…… Happy Christmas. xxx
Or even a certain old codger from the Midlands, who scrounges tyres and drinks boxed wine?
The Taxman & Something Doesn’t Add Up, the reason that you are confused is clearly because you are believing false postings.
What my business is to everybody on here is beyond me.
It suits me that you don’t know where I live, don’t know how or what I invested and can’t find anything about my business. Some post I am not even an investor but have a fake contract.
I love it!
All,
Last week Sustainable Growth Group, this week Arck LLP. The common theme being unregulated products and pensions.
http://www.professionaladviser.com/professional-adviser/news/2387823/ex-arck-director-pleads-guilty-to-gbp50m-fraud
Regulatory Legal obtained the initial freezing orders against Arck LLP and has acted for the majority of investors in the recovery of redress. It is never easy acting in these circumstances. However, like Arck LLP and SGG, we will see any project we start through the various stages to seeking redress and conclusion.
Regulatory Legal Solicitors
Good old Laura Miler, always good to give RL a bit……..of publicity.
The fool in York
Allofthisfuss, shouldn’t you be posting this as Dave’s Disco?
As usual Bob deflects attention away from the important questions, demonstrating how irrelevant he actually is.
Let’s have grammar lesson shall we? That’ll ease the blow of having a snake oil salesman help himself to your pension money.
There isn’t a hill to be found in York, it’s famous for being flat! I think you will find 3 fools in a white van full of laundry on Billinge Lump though!
Fools imagine things and make up stories about people then believe them themselves!
Let’s have A grammar lesson shall we. Idiot. If you don’t want a grammar lesson speak to Angela, or whatever she/he/it is posting as today. She/he/it first brought it up. Actually you have contradicted yourself. If I have deflected questions away from the important questions (your opinion not mine) then I have become very relevant otherwise you would not be posting about me. Haha. Got you on that one. Lol
Ralph Gonsalves.
I hope I have your attention because I know you are a bit slow.
You need to understand that when you allow a massive scam on “your island” their may well be a few investors who are pissed off with you and will not be going away.
By the way how are those IP addresses going?
with reference to the comment about fools making up stories, The Great Visionary makes up all kinds of stories, 100% finance, rewriting how business is done, building 9000 hotel rooms in 4 years, the glitch that stopped interest payments, SFO no longer investigating harlequin, the marina being completed, finance, 10% guaranteed rentals, ….. well , the list goes on
and still believes his business model is working ????????????????
Let’s face facts it, if you invested cash like Bob Storey it’s gone.
However, the silly old duffer thinks, for some inexplicable reason Ames will somehow reward him for his misguided efforts.
The truth hurts Bobit.
I made a typo, OMG. Bob will be all over it like a cheap suit!!
You are irrelevant Bob, because you are incapable of discussing the relevant topics. You were relevant for a little while, when you showed the SFO you were getting a return at a time when HP’s only source of cash flow was deposits from new investors. Beyond your 5 minutes of fame you just seem to be an old man who’s only form of social contact is an anonymous forum, where you help with spelling, grammar, and heckle anyone who feels they have been scammed out of their money – and let’s not forget trying to undermine RL, CLC, and anyone else who is actually taking action to recover their client’s funds.
Ames, the Cult, I never implied lies were the exclusive skill of the Broughtons.
There’s plenty of storey tellers and individuals with unexplainable interest in other investors personal business. They must have empty lives to take such an interest in people they don’t know and have never met.
Dave Ames is a pathetic liar, he has lied in court cases, and lied to purchasers, a pathetic liar who sees nothing wrong in lying.
Ames told a UK court that his businesses had little or no involvement with the UK, but then we look at the videos entitled Thailands Rotary Club Con Men on a You Tube, (could someone post this please ) , where Ames is introduced as the owner of Harlequin Property, Ames then goes on to describe how Harlequin Property is a British Company, developing worldwide, building, 7, mostly 5 star hotels in the Caribbean, even going so far as to claim that purchasers have confidence in his company because it’s British. And it arranges the land purchases and the finance to develop the hotels.
Ames and his witnesses lied in the Irish case, in the RL UK case, and in the Davies case, and faced a contempt hearing in that case as a result.
Ames lied to purchasers in his conference call, lied about a Marina, etc etc etc
By lying in court he comitted a criminal act, yet Ames will waste more purchaser money in instigating fresh defamation litigation, to prove what exactly? That he has not lied ? Not broken the law ? There are many instances where he broke the law. But I guess he wants us all to believe that he is the biggest victim in all this. Or is he looking to present some sort of defence to a jury in a criminal case.
Anonymous, why the long rant, I agreed Ames lied but pointed out he was not the only person with the skill.
I ask again…. with all this information about wrongdoing, why is he still living the life?
Let’s take the Irish builder and WK, they have information that could damage Ames? So, how come the builder lost? How come he is still continuing without a care in the World?
Either Ames is a genius or just F****king lucky.
Dave Ames , a name that will be remembered for a long time in UK history, along with Jimmy Saville, Harold Shipman, Fred West , Robert Maxwell and Gerald Ratner.
at least Gerald Ratner acknowledged he was selling crap.
The numbers speak for themselves.
9000 contracts, 2 “completions” (I don’t believe that for one minute), and a host of problems / litigation. The Harlequin “model” is certainly under much scrutiny, I just wish that scrutiny was in court.
But alas, this is how it works folks.
Ames can tell all the “lies” he wants because each “lie” is designed to get him out of trouble. It’s like you’re in school – the teacher asks you a very obvious question and you lie just to turn the attention onto someone else. “Did you punch him?” “No, I tripped and he fell with me onto the floor”. Little “lies” which don’t hurt anyone up front, designed to get you out of trouble.
As much as it will pain many of the supporters to hear – Ames and his band of merry men are just as immature and insolent as the kids in my school yard example…. except they have £440m of real people’s money to answer for.
Don’t be fooled – a case against Ames and his cohorts is being built. It might not come for some time, but it will come. You just can’t leave so many people in the lurch without ramifications. The big determinant on when this will go to court will be the political motivation – if the case has enough public outcry, politicians will want to get their punches in. Once this happens, the case will have a much stronger chance in court, and so the SFO will act.
And remember, the SFO has its reputation to uphold & enhance. They won’t risk “getting it wrong”. They have to be sure of what they’re doing before they strike. But when they do, imagine the glory they will have at bringing down this £440m disaster.
For all the worried purchasers, there is also another way to stop this idiocy. That is by way of financial contraction. Harlequin have been in a difficult financial situation since April 2013. Now they claim things have stabilized (not enough to achieve finance for construction), and are now in a position to give deadlines to purchasers about giving them more money (no).
The single biggest Achilles Heel that Harlequin has is that of finance. They simply don’t have anyone willing to give them any money. If the purchasers can rally together to prevent Harlequin from ever achieving the external funding they need, Harlequin will die. When it dies, a consortium with cash investors will be able to pick up the pieces (albeit with lower “return” projections), and get some money back out.
In order to prevent Harlequin from achieving finance, it’s a simple equation. You simply make it too risky for anyone to extend credit to them. This is why Ames is so scarred by the builder – it’s prevented him from raising any money at all (as if he had a chance to start with).
So if you really want to bring Ames down, just prevent him from raising any more money, which will stop construction. BB may pay for itself, but construction won’t. And since construction is what is required to right the £440m fraud, starving HP of any capital would be the last nail in the coffin.
How would investors bring about this? Quite simple. Do everything possible to prevent HP from raising credit lines. This starts with H Hotel – investors in H Hotel need to stay put. When this fictitious “deadline” passes, Harlequin will invent some other childish idea to attempt to get money from purchasers. Again, they should do nothing. It’s Ames who has breached his contract, not you.
Once Harlequin begins to get desperate, they may look to sell H Hotel, or do some other strange things. When this happens, purchasers just have to use the most potent weapon they all have – their contract.
If every investor used the services of a single solicitor (much in the same way RL has been doing), they’d be able to hit Harlequin with 1,000’s of stat demands (after breaking the deadlines of their contracts). When this happens, Harlequin will have absolutely no way to open credit lines (as all that money will just go to paying the stat demands, or massive litigation), and should thus bring the sorry saga to an end.
When this occurs, the same consortium who raised the stat demands will be able to put first charge on the land & other assets. Problem solved – the answer lies in the finances people.
Nothing to do with the luck of the devil, it’s all down to the speed at which the SFO work, 4-6 years the average time taken to prosecute a case, and why did Ames win the Irish case? Lying and withholding vital information, the Irish case was always 50 / 50. All civil litigation is, so much so that Ames applied to the Irish court to stay the proceedings such was his confidence in achieving victory. Lying and withholding information does assist though. How did Ames win the RL case,? by lying and committing perjury, how did he win the Mulberry Law case, through corruption, why were contempt proceedings being instigated by CLC against Ames?
If only there had been some coordination at an earlier stage, but I can see that the deception cannot carry on, too many lies, the net is closing.
Is it true Cameron is involved ;)…..
It only takes him to give the word…. in the right place.
If it had not been for the courage and willingness of Mrs. Broughton, Mr. Newman and Mr. Walton amongst a few others, the true deception that is the Ames ‘business model’ may never have been uncovered.
Mrs. Broughton had a justifiable reason to be concerned about the unorthodox and possibly illegal activities of Harlequin and the Ames family, the same family that tried to intimidate individuals through the use of covert surveillance personnel, spending hundreds of thousands of investors money on this surveilance, just to prove what exactly? That Ames is a coward and a bully, for years anyone who dared to speak out against this arrogant, spiteful, jealous and vindictive pint sized bully and failed businessman has had threats of all sorts made against them.
Oh yes he will claim that he was the victim of intimidation, not so, the delluded little dwarf thought he was all powerful.
Anonymous 7.38 pm, could you tell me what a deluded fucktard is?
I fully agree, gloves should be freely available at all self service gas stations. Indeed in the US many Gas stations now provide these, and I have seen glove dispensers at some UK gas stations but they do appear not to have been replenished.
Do you not find it odd, that Ames and his family would go all the way to California to identify those he sees as defaming him, when you allude to the fact that you already know the identity of posters on here,
Well the guy Ames who sought the identies or IP addresses in California, did indeed obtain a few, Automatic Inc however were also kind enough to furnish the IP addresses of some on here who appear to support the defamation guy Ames, and the IP’s of some who engaged in online profanities were also released to interested parties.
Not all actions in California needed to be as high profile as the actions undertaken by the Ames family.
But at least the Ames family were able to set a precedence.
For the avoidance of doubt, I have seen the list of IP addresses furnished by Automatic to the Ames family and not one of those IP addresses eminates from Manchester or any region close to it.
I have also looked at the UK Gazette, and no where can I find a Mr. Newman who has been declared bankrupt recently, so I’m at a loss how anyone can state this gentleman is skint, what I did find was two entry’s for a David Edward Ames, who has already been bankrupt twice, this does not concur with the statement that this guy Ames was a succesful businessman with over 30 years expierience as appeared on the Harlequin Hotels and Resorts website, although I do note that the reference to Ames has now been removed from the website.
I also note that whilst I can find no reference of a Mr. Newman anywhere being skint, I have ready to hand a report from an Insolvency Practioner which states that three members of the Ames family are unable to repay shareholders loans they obtained from a company called HMSSE, the three are a Carol Ames, a Dan Ames son of Carol Ames and a convicted and imprisoned fraudster Matt Ames another son of Carol, I also note that Matt Ames is seeking to declare himself bankrupt, following in the footsteps of his father.
I also note that a Nicola Kelliher last known address Wandering Australia, and daughter of Carol Ames is refusing to pay back her shareholders loan.
Apparently she is uncontactable, but again what is crystal clear is that Carol, Dan and Matt Ames are saying that they are too skint so are unable to repay the loans they took.
Don’t forget the loans were financed from monies originally obtained from purchasers.
No one said Newman was bankrupt. Stop making things up. What has been said is that the company he is the sole director of has net liabilities of -£11k. Also that he sold his house in Bray and is renting a property in Walton on Thames. Now why anyone should sell a property and go into rented accommodation in an age of property inflation is a mystery. It has been muted that it was to release equity for his business venture, Keltek, a company that he was a partner with a certain Irishman. If that was the case then showing a liability of -£11k would not suggest this has been much of a success so far. Perhaps the terminology in the US is different to the UK?
Seeing a picture of a big fat bird spread naked across a chaise long is not pretty, it’s obscene. I think a pair of blue plastic gloves could have added a bit of class.
This site does get terribly dragged down by the illiterate plebs posting on behalf of Harlequin. It seems the only topic they are capable of discussing is the Broughtons, and how fat they are. Apparently, the Broughtons caused the downfall of Harlequin by eating too much and running an ironing business. Good on them. If that’s what it took to stop that uneducated, lying, jealous, psychopathic bully to stop defrauding money off seemingly stupid people, then brilliant.
Hardly world class strategic, sleuth-like diversionary tactics from Harlequin: slagging people off and lying on the internet. But that’s what Ames and Harlequin do. Lie. In fact, apart from spending investor money on absolutely anything other than construction, Ames and Harlequin employees just lie all the time.
In all probability, Harlequin will be proven to be a fraudulent ponzi scheme, and anyone defending Harlequin is a liar. I have no idea who the Broughtons are, but if they are campaigning against Harlequin and Ames, then I’m backing them all the way. Along with the police, RL, the SFO, HMRC, FCA, BBC, media and any poor investors fighting to get THEIR money back from Harlequin.
Ames does not seem to give a damn about what purchasers’ money was actually meant for. He just seems to do whatever he wants with the money. In the main that is spending it on litigation to stop people writing about what a lying conman he is, and how Harlequin is an absolute failure having blown £400m on developing the mightily unimpressive half a building site that is Buccament Bay.
Stop him someone, please.
How is it possible to be both illiterate and able to post in such a way that a highly intelligent person as yourself can understand. Something of a contradiction there old boy. And using the word “pleb”. Tut tut people have been known to use their jobs over such utterances.
Anonymous 8.38. You guys are a bit sad really, you refer to a company owned by Mr. Jeremy Newman in the UK.
You refrain from mentioning the companies owned by a Jeremy Newman in the Far East and in the US,
But in order to this, you need to do a little more than a Google search of UK companies.
Furthermore Mr. Newman may well have sold his UK property, and may well be renting a property in the UK, perhaps he is waiting the completion of his new property, see a new property is being constructed in the UK for a Jeremy Newman.
And how many companies is Mr. Jeremy Newman a shareholder in?
Quite a few by all accounts. All of this information is available, not hidden from anyone if you know how and where to look.
Unlike another individual we all have come to know, who purchases properties and has those properties registered in unconnected persons names to hide the fact he owns these properties.
The same individual who’s family claim they are unable to pay certain debts.
And what about a bunch of companies with liabiilities of close to three quarters of a billion dollars, a company with a liability of £11k to me is in a far healthier position than a group of companies with liabilities in excess of $ 700 million, but each to their own.
The guy who hides properties in other people’s names has been reported recently to the UK tax authorities on the off chance that the transactions referred to might just be a little outside the law.
The only bullshit coming out is the constant stream of bullshit that has been coming from Ames and his loyal bunch of crims since 2006.
Mr. Newman is far from skint, but then again neither is Dave, Carol, Dan or Nicola, the difference is they claim they are skint when called upon to repay money they took which originated from purchasers.
Does it really bother you Dave that Jeremy is doing quite well? Would it not be wise to get on with making money for your 6,000 investors as opposed to attacking anyone who calls you a liar, a bully and a fraud.
If you were to get off your backside and begin to show your 6000 investors that all you have sold them is real then no one would bother you on here.
@amusing etc etc etc. fortunately there are other ways of finding out the truth. Mr Newman had to sell the house in bray in order to pay some outstanding bills. The information came from someone very close to mr Newman.
Hands up all investors that give a damn about Newman, and what properties he owns?
Hands up all investors who believe that all anti-HP posts on this forum are posted by Padraig O’Halloran?
Hands up all investors that think that Ames was in cahoots with O’Halloran for one big ponzi scheme and Paddy double bluffed him?
Hands up all investors that give a damn about the Broughtons, or how much food they eat, or ironing they do?
Hands up all investors who give a damn about anything other than how much money Ames took off people to develop property, what lies he and his agents told, or what he has done with the money taken off investors?
Go ask HMRC or the SFO, they are the agencies with all the details of the strange property transactions. Yes a complaint was made, or is it that Ames and Carol are the only ones allowed to make a complaint.
Carol for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Call it payback time. Life’s a bitch but heh.
Lets wait and see what the BBC turn up should we? That will do wonders for raising the profile of Harlequin. Won’t do too much for the finance 😦
No slip ups this time.
Let’s hope so. As a British tax payer who knows full well what Harlequin have been up to, and the lies Dave Ames and agents have told in order to sell their product, I’m none too pleased at all at the BBC’s back-down. Grow some balls, BBC.
If Harlequin attempted to prosecute the BBC following the broadcast, I have absolutely no doubt the Beeb would be flooded with information and support. I’m happy to help, and I have a box full of old promises and lies.
yes let’s ask investors who is posting on here, that should be easy. There is only one investor and that is Dave Ames and he claims to have the IP adresses of those who post anti Ames rhetoric on here, so let’s ask him.
This little smoke screen that Ames has created has truly gotten out of control, anyone with a single active brain cell, can see that Ames is more concerned by what Newman, O Halloran, Wilkins Kennedy and others may have provided the authorities, hence the reason why Ames and his wife are now making allegations of a breach of confidentiality.
Ames is a laughing stock amongst his peers, a consummate liar, as can be proved by the Andrew Drummond expose on Ames little interview in Thailand.
Ames has no interest in his purchasers, none, his life is consumed with trying to discredit those who have already pulled the trigger and passed on all they have to the authorities, there are some out there who have also passed on information to Ames in order to try and achieve closure on their particular circumstances, but even these individuals also passed on valuable information to Ames’ sworn enemies, what a tangled web we weave.
So maybe it’s time Ames gave up the side show, maybe it’s time he concentrated on the core business, if he can ever get around to deciding what that core business is.
His sworn enemies may well have dealt him a fatal blow, afterall the SFO / Essex Police investigation continues apace, as does a new HMRC investigation, and who better to assist HMRC especially if compelled to do so, Wilkins Kennedy perhaps?
Ames knows the serious brown stuff he is struggling to swim in, and this brown stuff has been created by his own stupidity and more importantly greed.
As they say, there is no smoke without fire.
If I were a betting man I would say the program will be much sooner than later. Imagine the kerfuffle, gone are the days of Carter Ruck.
Poor old Ames, he has been notified of the program and is in a big tizzy over it.
No shortage of ‘investors’ willing to speak out. The BBC in now in Manchester, that’s not too far away from Wigan.
Andrew Drummond? Don’t make us laugh. Is he still on the run? SFO/Essex police, do you mean at a pace? Because the pace is dead stop. Nothing, but nothing will happen until the WK case is settled. The ramifications of plod interfering with that would be huge.
It was not Andrew Drummond, it was the clip Andrew Drummond showed of Ames being interviewed, no laughing matter, and Ames is claiming that the WK case will be over early 2015 so nothing stopping the plods then, oh yes of course, then it will be the Newman case. I think the plods have seen through Ames, and have no interest in civil cases,
@ Anonymous 11.39 pm, exactly what Ames would want to happen, but thankfully that ain’t how it works mate.
Ames is suing Wilkins Kennedy, it’s a Civil Suit, of little or no interest to the SFO or Essex Police, apart from any additional evidentory material that may be gleaned from that Civil Suit. Ames is being investigated for criminal fraud, Wilkins Kennedy do not appear as one of the companies being investigated for criminal fraud, Ames can always continue to pursue Wilkins Kennedy even if he is charged and convicted,
Nothing to stop him, but on the issue of ‘huge’ ramifications, and your rather simple view on things, maybe Ames should consider awaiting the outcome of the Irish appeal, because as Ames freely accepts the two are interlinked, now what will be the ramifications for Ames if he looses the Irish Appeal?
Oh sorry there are none, as you see it.
Ames will continue to litigate if he believes it will buy him time, but Ames is not the first person to try this on, and the prosecuting agencies have seen this all before.
Let’s not forget that Matt Ames who based his business model on that of his father, blamed the FCA for shutting down his business,
Ames senior has bigger problems which have little to do with his spat with Wilkins Kennedy, that is the thinnest of smoke screens.
His problems lie in part through evidence uncovered that he will claim is now the subject of an NDA, being the wise old owl that he professes to be, he should really have had all parties sign up to NDA’s at the initiation of proceedings and not when the horse had bolted.
And Ames really does not understand how witness summonses work, nor how the authorities can issue production orders to legally circumvent any NDA, the amateurish way that Ames’ legal team attempted to hide documents crucial to the outcome of the Irish case (as has been discovered subsequent to that case) should not give Ames much comfort.
What’s Ames going to try and come up with next?
Will we hear him say that all electronic files were ‘Accidentally’ deleted from Ames’ companies servers, ?
I mean it’s not like that this has not been tried on before, it’s like the excuse of meeting someone in a very dense rain forest and handing them cash only to see them disappear into the undergrowth with the cash,
I admit that that is a little far fetched even for any member of the Ames family………………………………..oh hang on I just remembered that’s exactly what Matt Ames said in his criminal trial.
I really cannot wait to see conman David Ames in jail for his crimes of stealing people’s money.
All these conspiracy theories,
I have a simple solution, if I was being investigated by the SFO for the past say two years or so, well I would have been given details of potential witnesses, and what they will have provided by way of evidence against me, that’s the way the system works, but it is a fair system because it allows me to mount a robust defence against any allegations made against me.
Now I wouldn’t condone witness intimidation, absolutely not, no way or indeed any such other nonsense, but what I could consider, I could consider taking a defamation case against one of those witnesses, but the trick here is to not see it through to the end, I would not want to for fear of what might come out, instead I would insist that we settle subject to an NDA, then shortly afterwards I would begin an online anonymous campaign telling the world how the person I had sued for defamation ended up “skint” as result of the action I took, I would tell the world that theyvsold all their property to pay their legal costs, I would tell the world how they apologised.
Then I would travel perhaps to the U.S. and claim that I was being defamed on an online forum, I would commence a spurious legal action with the sole purpose of obtaining a sample number of specific Id’s related to specific posts, Once I managed to obtain the IP adresses, of posters from the UK region, I would then drop the U.S. action, I would drop it because I never had an intention of taking the case beyond the discovery phase, but I’d play along with the charade for fear that I would be on the hook for an adverse cost award in the US if the courts saw through the charade, I would seek to drop the case on a without prejudice basis, in the hope that I would not have to give my true reasons for dropping the case. If my charade was uncovered I could end up in some serious hot water indeed, and it could end up quite costly.
I would then get my lawyers to make contact with the posters in the UK, those who just happen to be witnesses for the SFO and tell them that Automatic had passed over their details to me, (even if they hadn’t) I would get my lawyers to cleverly word their letters, see I know most people won’t know how the system works, now I would not go in too aggressively initially, Id get my lawyers to ask for an apology, at the same time I would increase the rhetoric on an online forum, demonstrating how those who had originally defamed me had lost everything, their homes, their jobs, everything, even if it wasn’t true, I’d make it up, I’m doing it anonymously so who cares, I would even go so far as to show that they owe say £11 grand or so, I’d also make a complaint to a regulatory authority about them and make it very public that I have done so.
Telling the whole world that the complaint was so serious the disciplinary hearing would be heard in Private. I would argue the point for days,
The idea behind all this is for me to set a marker, to show that when I send out a lawyers letter I mean business, and that I will destroy anyone financially. And that Ive done so. Even if it is not true.
Meanwhile my lawyers would ask those posters who I suspect have written about me, regardless of whether it’s true or not to apologise,
I would be hoping that those posters might be so scared that they would accede to the request (not demand) by my lawyers. I would hope that the online references to the last person who ‘defamed’ me as I would see it, would be enough for those other witnesses to be too afraid to loose their homes or livelyhoods.
Then I would get an unreserved apology from those individuals getting them to sign the apology and an NDA, where I would state that the existence of the NDA could not even be made known to the authorities.
Then I would just sit back and wait for my day with destiny in the criminal court, and as those witnesses that have signed the apologies are wheeled out by the prosecution, in front of the jury, I’d blow the witnesses out of the water by producing the signed apologies.
All neat and tidy, nothing illegal about it, no coercion on my part, no threats, the witnesses would have signed the apologies voluntarily, my online posts could not be traced.
All very clean and tidy and I would torpedoe the prosecution case. That’s what I would do, but I am stupid and I don’t think Dave Ames would ever resort to such tactics, unlike me Dave is far too intelligent to do this, and given that Dave has made it abundantly clear that he has done nothing wrong, that all the wrongdoing was on the part of everyone else including Carol and Dan, then why would he need to do what I would do. I’m stupid because my theory is flawed, see unlike Dave Ames Ive lied, broken the law and committed criminal acts which my enemies will have no problem in proving, the big difference between me and Dave is I am a liar and because he told us, he is not. Dave told us he never lies, and this we all know is good enough for any Judge, Dave Ames’ word is recognised through out the world as being akin to the word of God, beyond question.
And no way would any respectable God fearing lawyer engage in such underhand tactics, and we know Ames only engages the best legal teams money can buy, no way would any of his legal team contemplate misleading a judge, no way.
And we know from the very articulate and informative posts this evening that the SFO and Essex Police are not investigsting Dave Ames, we were told tonight by a poster that the investigation had stopped, yes sir not slowed but stopped.
I believe that there is no investigation into Dave Ames, he told us over a year ago at a public meeting that the investigation had ceased, my view is that he has graciously allowed his companies to be used in a sting operation to catch everyone else. Dave would do this, given his almost manic obsession with seeing justice being served.
Just look at the facts folks, in the 120 year history of Wilkins Kennedy it has stumbled from one scandal into another, they have engaged in wholesale fraud of clients on a weekly basis, have been in court more times then Carol has had paid out returns, been investigated on an almost monthly basis by the ICAEW, are rarely not scrutinised by the SFO, it’s all on the Internet.
And just look at that guy Andy Newman or some name like that, tonight we discovered that he is a paedophile, he had something to do with that dodgy bastard Andy (Cocaine) Smith, I think someone said he gave him dodgy tax advice, Andy Newman I’m sure that’s the name of the tax accountant guy, caught smuggling booze, been in and out of the nick more times then Dave Ames has provided mortgages. Google him it’s every where.
And Paul Walton, yes posters on here correctly demonstrated that he is a people smuggler, even trying out the merchandise from time to time. Using Gareth Fatchett as a front. It’s all there folks. He has smuggled two less people then Completions in Harlequin. And Harlequin have sold in excess of 9000 units since 2006 so we are talking about a lot of completions.
And that Broughton woman,
Christ look at her, been laundering for the mob for years. In and out of court more times then Dan Dalligan has completed tax returns.
Dave Ames is a decent upstanding guy, so no way would he do what I would do. I’m a lowlife, a liar, let me tell you this, one time I was standing on a desolate beach and I told people ( on camera) that I was building a huge Marina just out of camera shot, and the idiots believed me and the cash just rolled in, lol, on another occasion I had a CGI of a flood plain generated, I even had the sun setting in my CGI. My real flood plain faces in the opposite direction to the Sun Set but the idiots kept giving me money.
Another time I lied to an English judge about where my business was operated from, that was easy, I just told the judge I had thousands of investors, the idiot probably thought I had a PLC, lol, my lawyers who unlike Dave Ames’ lawyers are bent as S hooks, more bent then that guy you all keep talking about Andy Newman and boy is he bent in more ways then one lol.
I told idiots I did not need finance and they believed me. Lol ha ha ha
I’ve met Dave Ames and he is straight as a die, articulate, honest, and as he stated he never took one red cent out of the business, it was his wife and son who raped Harlequin of some 250 million Quid, not Dave Ames.
A guy walks into a bank, let’s give the guy a name, let’s call him ‘Ames’ after the fictional character in the 2009 movie Law Abiding Citizen, Ames played one of the bad guys, the murderer. A disgusting and vile individual who ended up getting his just deserts when he was executed in the most horrible fashion possible.
Any similarities to Matt Ames or Dave Ames are purely coincidental, and is unintentional. Apologies to the actor who played the fictional character Ames, for any similarities to the real Ames family, the Ames in the movie was executed, but he is an actor, a fictional character, so the execution never really happened and the actor did not commit any offence.
Matt Ames is not an actor, Matt Ames is a convicted Fraudster, having been found guilty of robbing investors of their cash and spending it on luxuries for his own benefit, Matt Ames recieved a prison sentence of some 40 months, Matt Ames is the son of Dave and Carol Ames, who are also not actors and are currently under investigation by the SFO and the Essex Police, HMRC are now also believed to be looking at the finances of the Ames family. Matt Ames is the brother of Dan Ames, who also has been reported to the SFO and Essex Police and is also being investigated, Dan Ames along with his mother recently claimed they were unable to repay monies they borrowed from HMSSE now in liquidation and Matt Ames is the brother of Nicola Kelliher who seemingly has gone missing in Australia, Nicola also owes HMSSE now in liquidation a large sum of money but her whereabouts cannot be ascertained by the liquidators of HMSSE. Matt Ames also recently filed for bankruptcy following in his fathers (David ((Dave)) EDWARD Ames) footsteps. Matt Ames is also facing a Proceeds of Crime case.
Back to the story, So Ames ( the fictional actor) walks into the bank, the bank is full of ‘investors’, Ames pulls out a shot gun and robs the bank and the investors of 700 million USD. Ames is accompanied by an unidentifiable accomplice.
One of the bank staff activates the alarm, on the way out of the bank with the 700 million USD loot Ames trips and bangs his knee off the step at the entrance to the Bank. Ames blames his accomplice for this.
Ames gets away, and returns to his mansion in yellow bell wood, near the fictional town of Witchford.
The police finally catch up with Ames but on the morning the police are due to lift Ames, Ames files a civil law suit against his accomplice for the aleged damaged caused to Ames’ knee when he tripped over the step of the Bank.
As soon as the Police heard about the Civil Law suit they did not just slow down the criminal investigation they stopped it pending the outcome of the Civil Law Suit, I mean that’s what the police do,
Ames redefined criminal law in the UK , as a result, today Bank robbers in the UK who happen to get caught just sue their accomplices which stops any criminal cases from going ahead.
Ames the bank robber redefined the way robberies are conducted.
It’s that simple folks, if your facing a serious criminal case, just find someone to sue, make up anything you want about the person, file papers in the court and that’s it, the police or sfo will not touch you, no way brother, you are home and dry.
Case Closed, no problemo,
Very amusing posts, 10/10. Talent, real talent.
Such a pity Ingham can’t write something without having to result to profanities or references to fat people.
I believe he does this to gloss over his inadequacies.
I feel almost sorry for him.
Dyslexic Fat Worhipper, firstly I was not responsible for the vile comments made about the Broughtons yesterday, so you need to direct your criticism at somebody else.
Secondly, I have rarely seen a more hypocritic email ever. You have directed much abuse towards me and my family on here but that’s ok.
I very rarely post on here unless somebody drags me personally into something, if nothing was written about me I would never write.
Give it a try!
I am sure everybody has heard of the bag money. This was cash taken by Ames and Commissiong to Gonsalves on St Vincent.
Well I now have sight of an account in the name of David Ames in the Caymen Islands. From this account there are four payments totalling £800,000 paid to Ralph Gonsalves.
This evidence has been passed to the SFO.
And he thinks the posts of last night were amusing! If I was a poor sad git with nothing to do then I could write a war and peace type post. He needs to get a life.
Richard, it’s hypocritical NOT hypocritic.
If you must use big words, ask your Mummy to check them first.
Who said it was Panorama?
It stands to reason that some organisation will run an article on Ames and his family.
The BBC had to back down regarding the last program, if indeed it is them, they won’t be making the same mistake twice.
Ames has taken well over £400 million it would make great viewing, imagine interviewing some really old people crying, hysterics, millions and million paid to agents, Matt Ames and his Lamborghini, then being convicted of fraud.
Throw in the SFO, Police, HMRC, no accounts, what’s not to like?
This is movie material!
Who will play Ames?
Verne Troyer?
It seems that circumstance has provided Harlequin with the perfect opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to the projects and their solidarity with those who purchased units from them over the last seven or so years.
We are told that various members of the Ames family were given access to the Directors’ loan account and were able to take money out of the company that purchasers had paid in. This now is a perfect test of the Chairman’s resolve to show that he and the purchasers are all in this together.
The family members don’t seem to be in a hurry to pay back the money loaned to them by the company and, indeed, seem to say that they are unable to pay. Well a number of purchasers have been put into a situation where they have to downsize their houses because of their purchase with Harlequin so it is time for the Ames family to do likewise.
If they choose not to put their houses on the market to pay their debts back to purchasers then it really shows that their true motivation is for personal financial gain rather than any interest in the welfare of the company or those who have purchased from it.
Simple test…The question is, will they pass or fail?
It’s a shame that Bob Hoskins is no longer with us to play the lead role. He could so pull the role off.
They believe that personal assets and the companies are separate. Under normal circumstances I would agree, but not under what some refer to as a P**** Scheme. Of course that needs to be proved.
Once this program hits the TV it’s simply over, then the press, the the insolvency companies.
The final nail. At long last.
So money was passed to the PM of SVG in a bag, but the payments can be seen on a bank statement. The stupidity of some posters is staggering. And of course IF a BBC program is made I’m sure the PM and DA will be interviewed. Not likely. Any BBC program is dead in the water. Ended. Finito.
I bet that fat duck Broughton and Mr John I’ll kill Ames will have there fat faces splashed over the goggle box, along with people smuggling, slum landlord Bentley driving Walton.
Imagine a fatty threesome!
How will a program help your investment?
These people have always been out to harm Harlequin and YOUR investment.
Some of us who paid cash and did not rely on credit. These people should not have invested if they can’t afford it.
Northern working class scum, showing off down the labour club.
Ralph Gonsalves the £800,000 that you have received off David Ames should be returned to the investors immediately, it is a proceed of crime.
@ Potty Scheme 10.18am
I don’t agree that these are personal assets though as they were taken from the director’s loan account I believe. The clue is in the name. When a director’s loan account is in credit then that is money sitting in the business that is the rightful property of the director and when it is in debit the reverse is true. So, if my understanding of the audits and the liquidator’s report is correct, money now in the personal possession of family members is actually money that properly belongs back in the business.
The poster earlier said that the family should have put their own houses on the market to pay back this debt. I agree but they have had months and months to do this and have decided that they would rather keep everyone else’s money thank you very much. So much for working hard for the “investors”.
Is the cash purchase of a cabana in a resort in St Lucia in 2008 that has not yet started still considered “an investment?” . I would put it in the same category as money in a bag that fell into the ocean from the balcony of a cruise ship in the Caribbean . GONE!
Gonsalves return the £800,000 which your crooked friend gave you.
Ingham has never got over him being exposed as some wannabe. The man has some mental heath issues, little wonder he makes things up.
And today Matthew I’m going to be ………….Angela!! Over the next few hours I will morph into several other IDs which will only serve to confuse myself. These will include Dave’s Disco, Anonymous, and several references to Bob who I have an unhealthy fixation about. By the way “Angela” the grammar in your second post is atrocious.
Funny enough John Broughton (he with the I’ll kick your head in eyes) claims he lives in Newton-le-willows. I wonder if they have a Tesco with blue gloves there? Is this another piece in the Broughton property empire?
The subjunctive imperfect is guaranteed to fall into the waste
basket of archaic English
Angela, Why are you wanting to drag me into your petty squabbles?
I haven’t stated what I am or am not, you have though (luckily not one of your facts have been correct yet).
Do you obsess over others or just me?
Good God, what a coincidence. Todays Sky news.
http://news.sky.com/story/1396233/seal-stranded-in-field-in-st-helens-really
And where is it found? Newton-le-Willows! Has it been driven to distraction by playing Candy Crush Saga?
What has got the Harlequin trolls so excited this time, what further bad news are we about to expect ref the Ames family and the companies. Not that any more news could really be significantly worse.
£440 million gone, Is Newsnight about to run a new story on Ames, his family and the companies, ? Their trip (Newsnight) to the Caribbean seems like a wasted journey otherwise.
Matt even gets a mention perhaps and where’s the Christmas update from Dave, have Wilkins Kennedys lawyers gone on somewhat of an offensive? Is it all cleverly hidden from the public view by Dave, looks to me like Dave maybe on the ropes here, has he redrafted his claim I wonder.
Wonder will Dave be comfortable with the upcoming Newsnight expose, has Regan or Spector made contact with the chairman of the BBC to stop the story, has Sean Ghent been taken back on so we can have someone else accused of bribery, the BBC chairman perhaps.
Is Carol angry with the ICAEW for telling her to poke off on a few issues?
Is Carol seeking to sue the ICAEW ?
Are Dave, Carol and Dan really that angry at Automatic Inc and the Californian Supreme Court for rejecting the Ames’ very kind offer to drop the defamation case in the US on a without prejudice basis?
Is Dave fuming that Automatic Incs lawyers are communicating with a number of individuals this side of the pond, and those individuals are providing Automatic Inc with dozens of documents?
Or is it the reported upcoming lawsuits in the Caribbean that has Dave, Carol, Dan and the rest of the motley crew in Basildon in such a tail spin. ?
But it must not have been the recent communication between the SFO and Ames’ criminal lawyers, no it can’t be this that has them all in such a tizzy.
Richard don’t use it if the following is too complicated for you.
The semicolon or semi-colon (;) is a punctuation mark that separates major sentence elements. A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Richard, please explain what ‘fantasising’ mean.
One wonders is it something to do with a fizzy drink?
Can someone tell us clearly and without innuendo or ambiguity, is the BBC preparing to expose this soon?
The BBC have unfinished business with Ames.
I bet Mathew Chapman is a very happy ‘Chappy’
If the BBC took on Apple, Ames is nothing but a little runt from Essex.
Yes.
Yes Newsnight are doing an expose, interviews and filming have concluded.
@Anonymous, he of the famed rumor mill, You have gone and shot yourself up the arse yet again. There is a case review of the WK claim in Jan, so there will be no discussions between anyone until that has taken place. In view of that the rest of your post can be taken with a pinch of salt. I will give you one thing,you have a vivid imagination. As Newsnight is on BBC 2 during the graveyard hour then it would be watched by a few OAPs dozing in their chairs. That would rock the world lol
Anon 5:52 – Give that information to Sony so that they can run
“The Interview”
I passed on a large amount of information to the BBC and have been interviewed,
I have also been informed that the BBC have notified all parties of the expose, and some parties have objected strenuously to the program, involving their own in house legal teams in attempts to have the program cancelled , the BBC apparently have been told by the Ames family and or a spokesman from Basildon that much of the content of the program is covered by an NDA whilst more would be highly prejudicial in the Wilkins Kennedy claim and the Irish Appeal.
It is also interesting to note that the BBC were informed by local Caribbean staff that they were precluded from making any comments, and all issues or questions re Harlequin were to be addressed by the powers that be in Basildon.
So much for Ames’ claims in the UK court.
Is there a screening date slated for Newsnight?
Contrary to the view that this is watched by a few OAPs, Newsnight is the flagship current affairs programme for the BBC probably on a par with the Today Programme for political clout and way above the Six and Ten O’Clock News put together.
I have genuinely sent information to the BBC, to know you are genuine can we have a cryptic game of who you sent the information to?
Steady on, Bob Storey is the font of all things Harlequin 😉
An honest question……why would information from a third or fourth
party be subject to a NDA ? If I have information ref: Ridgeview,
ICE, PID, Krauss Manning, H-Design and have never even met or
spoken to Ames and I have information to aid in the uncovering of an
almost certain Ponzi Scheme to the BBC what is keeping me from
doing it and what is keeping them from airing it.
Well you will just have to wait and see, won’t you Bobitkins
It’s a very good Storey tee hee…Happy Christmas.
@ Anonymous 5.52 the case review or case management is purely a procedural matter, it is at this stage that a timetable for the case is set out, including the provision of witness statements by both sides, the discovery and review of documents and a date for the case itself.
Last night we had a poster claim that the SFO Essex Police had stopped their investigation pending the outcome of the Wilkins Kennedy Case,
Tonight you tell us that the BBC will not air a program on Ames because of a case management conference.
Firstly no case management conference is taking place in January in the case between Ames et Al and Wilkins Kennedy et Al, to state that the case review / management is being conducted in January is just plain wrong.
Secondly this is a civil case, a squabble between a horrible odious twice bankrupt little man, under investigation by the SFO and Essex Police who owes £ 440 Million to 6000 + clients and who’s son by the way (was a shareholder in HMSSE now in liquidation and former senior employee of one of his fathers companies, now banned for 13 years from being a director, and currently serving a 40 months prison sentence for acts of fraud) and a Top 20 UK accountancy firm with an impeccable record.
BBC News Night are not party to the proceedings, so are well within their rights to air the program, no injunctions have been granted preventing them from doing so.
Dave, Carol and Dan Ames have brought this upon themselves, no one else.
The Newsnight investigation should be a revealing insight into the activities of the Ames family businesses and could provide the perfect platform for Ames to convince us all that his businesses are both successful and operating legally.
If the Ames family cannot convince us that all is well, then sadly they have no one to blame but themselves.
On a seperate note, Carol Ames should contact the ICAEW for an update, it appears she is some what behind the times. Maybe Carol Ames could publish the complaint she made to the ICAEW and the response she has recieved.
Interestingly neither she nor her husband have made any public statement on the matter, instead peddling some cock and bull story to PHIG, which Carol will claim was taken out of context.
Anon, yes we are all aware what a case review is thank you. And last night it was not claimed that the SFO/Essex plod had stopped their investigation at all. What was said that nothing will happen until the WK case is settled. A difference that was too subtle for you to comprehend. See you are quoting Al again. Perhaps you would like to publish information sent by ICAEW as you seem to be so knowledgable? I won’t hold my breath.
Looks to me like the poster said that the SFO / Essex Police investigation had stopped, in fact they said ‘Dead Stop’ ‘ Because the pace is dead stop’
Anonymous on December 21, 2014 at 11:39 pm
Andrew Drummond? Don’t make us laugh. Is he still on the run? SFO/Essex police, do you mean at a pace? Because the pace is dead stop. Nothing, but nothing will happen until the WK case is settled. The ramifications of plod interfering with that would be huge.
…………………………..
The idea that the SFO are waiting the outcome of a civil case is absolutely ridiculous, the idea that the BBC will not air a program because the family who are the centre of the program are suing an unrelated / connected third party is ludicrous.
Let’s not forget Dave Ames wants us to believe that all is well with his companies.
Now that Sean Ghent was dispensed with how will the GV get out of this pending BBC program?
BBC ran a documentary about apple – Ames is nothing to them.
Well James Baker said liabilities exceed assets….is that not insolvent? Unless your name is Bob .
I seem to remember Ames saying the interest payments were going to
recommence 18 months ago?
And BB was insured.
And the banking error.
And the SFO have dropped the case.
And finance was just round the corner (that was 6 years ago)
Anonymous on December 22, 2014 at 9:01 pm
Anon, yes we are all aware what a case review is thank you. And last night it was not claimed that the SFO/Essex plod had stopped their investigation at all. What was said that nothing will happen until the WK case is settled. A difference that was too subtle for you to comprehend. See you are quoting Al again. Perhaps you would like to publish information sent by ICAEW as you seem to be so knowledgable? I won’t hold my breath.
……………………………………….
Dave Ames has stated adnausium that he wants to be transparent, all we are asking is that the Ames family and those in Basildon STOP lying, we know the companies are in trouble, we know there is no cash, we know the Ames family claim not to have the cash to pay back personal loans, we know the companies are not in a position to pay back the purchasers, we know there was no banking glitch that prevented the payment of purchasers interest, we know Dave lied about the Marina, we know Dave lied in the UK court, we know Dave lied in Ireland, I know the SFO / Essex police investigation continues, I know this because I am a witness, We know that HMRC are investigating Ames, his family, his companies, his employees and the agents,
What we don’t want from Ames is the constant litany of lies he produces, if you have no finance then don’t say you have, don’t say you are going to start the H Hotel early in 2015 whilst at the same time looking for purchasers to pay for this. You don’t know if or how many purchasers will provide cash to complete the H hotel.
Why not just say that you have this idea? Why not ask purchasers what they think ? Why try and shove your ideas down everyone’s throat.
Why gloat about complaints you have made to the ICAEW? Why not await the outcome of any disciplinary hearings before gloating?
Why tell the world about your case against Wilkins Kennedy? Do you not think that many will look at your case with Wilkins Kennedy as another indication that you are not fit to control a business, far less nearly half a billion pounds of purchasers money.
Why not wait the outcome ? Why do you always seek an NDA in any settlement you might arrive at ? Do you not see that your litigious nature only fuels the rumours that you are wholly incompetent and not fit to manage a business. Do you not feel that addressing the issues perhaps by way of an interview with the BBC backed up by facts would aid your cause? Why not introduce the BBC to your financiers,? Perhaps show them proof that all this is real, ask them not to name the financiers but allow them to publicise the fact that you are not lying in this instance.
Anonymous you ask me to provide information from the ICAEW, many times before the Ames family have been proven to have lied, and we then see a whole litany of diversionary posts on here, followed by something new, then eventually that is proven to be a lie and the cycle continues.
An example of this,
It was stated on here that the complaint made to the ICAEW involved allegations of Fraud, Carol Ames and the Ames family want everyone to know what they are doing, they informed PHIG, in that case why not state exactly the nature of the complaint? Will the Ames family be prepared to state if any elements of the complaints are not upheld if that turns out to be the case, would Carol Ames be willing to apologise if the complaint is not upheld ?
Will the Ames family take responsibility for the absolute shambles that is the “business model” and acknowledge that it is they who bear ultimate responsibility for what has happened?
@ anonymous 7.32pm
It’s not the audience size it’s the fact that all the key influencers watch it. Nobody remembers news reports from one week to the next but careers are made and lost on the Radio 4 Today Programme and Newsnight. Who can forget Michael Howard being Paxo’d?
The lightweight who is on Newsnight now isn’t going to “Paxo” anybody.
And we are still waiting for the reply that CA has received from the ICAEW which it is claimed has been seen. Now that would be transparency. Except it doesn’t exist does it.
The net is closing and the noose getting tighter…..no matter how long it takes, you simply can not run an operation taking in £400 million + and it fail without …at some point, no matter how long it takes, there will be a head in the noose…in this case it will be multiple heads Dave Carol Dan and more….jus think Matt is about to walk out of jail and the SFO tap him on the shoulder…”can we have a word” and then the Harlequin shit gets dumped on him…. be like family non fortunes in the dock with all the Ames tribe
Newsnight will show DA and HP for what they are with or without Paxo
2015 is gonna be the year the Ames finally get removed from their freedom of movement…such pending joy
I contacted the editor of Newsnight via email yesterday, he confirmed that no programme had been made about Harlequin and there were no plans to do so at present either.
That’s because its NOT Newsnight!
It’s Panorama.
They have half the job done.
Ames has failed since they were hoodwinked by Ghent – it will be interesting to show what progress Harlequin have made.
Hahaha the anti HP trolls need to get their acts together. Perhaps it’s on Jackanory. Or you can try BT sport, they are buying anything these days. Lol
@ Anonymous 9.05am
Oh yeah, how silly of me, I totally get your logic now. Because a few people are speculating about which current affairs programme is working on a Harlequin story that means everything is ok after all. Well that’s a relief. The £400m is safe after all and the company is a safe bet. Thank you for putting us right on that one so we can all sleep soundly.
I know how this works, someone says its newsnight, someone says its Panorama. It’s neither.
But, no smoke without fire. It’s someone.
It’s been enough to get the bunker in a flap. The minions will be getting instructions to derail any moment now.
What has happened to the Trust?
The finance?
The FCSC supporting Ames?
The unregulated Halkham Compensation Ames was promoting, with Lidel
The World renowned management company?
The DD strewn with errors?
The flurry of completions?
Come on short legs give us something positive!
All the pro-lobby arguments rest on the principle of trying to show that someone else is shittier than they are. It is a really moronic line of thinking. I don’t really care about all the one-bit side acts in this fiasco. For all I know the whole lot of them could be crooks and, even if they were, it does not a single thing to make the Harlequin empire a sound proposition.
Why not confound the anti-lobby at a stroke by publishing the audited accounts for all the companies, by publishing details of the financing, by publishing the build programs… Instead we get ducking and diving, suing anyone who dares to question the company and a string of NDAs and foul-mouthed posts about people who don’t have any significant role to play.
I concur – Ames has a huge Achilles Heel. Finances.
You won’t be able to hit him with litigation on its own – he thinks that its his trump card. You’d have to get him on finances. His weak point always has, and always will be, finances… ever since he started taking payments without a confirmed underwriter for the “mortgages”.
If you want to see Ames come toppling down, just make sure Harlequin doesn’t get any more money. That’s why he’s so rapacious with litigation – all the calls of his scheme being of the ponzi variety, prevent people with brains from putting money in, causing it to fall. This is the situation we see today.
Funny thing is that no matter what happens now, the brand has been tarnished so much in the investment world that it will be very difficult for little legs to raise any further credit. If he does manage to raise any money, any good lawyer will eye it up like hawks for their clients.
H Hotel investors need to stay strong. 7 more days until the “deadline” passes. Then we’ll see what little legs does next. Harlequin cannot change your contract without your consent.
H Hotel investors do nothing. Stay strong, you may be the ones who derail Ames’ ghost train for good.
…………………………………………..
Paul Walton was great for bringing GF into the fray.
Say what you will (GF isn’t whiter than white), he’s brought a lot of dirty laundry out for the victims, brought the victims together, and generally provided much support for them too.
@anonymous 9.11, no it’s called TROLLING. Meaningless speculation with no foundation. Perhaps it’s Panonight, or Newsarama? Until someone has a 100% knowledge of any program there have been several posts of absolute meaningless garbage! including yours.
Good points, I suspect the usual Pro Harlequin piffle will follow, no other legal firm would have taken them on. I don’t see anyone else sticking their head on the chopping block.
The scary thing is Ames may have even got away with it.
For the record I think the WK and the infamous Irish builder is just window dressing, sure, I suspect when things were going well everyone had their nose in the trough – that’s business, like it or lump it.
I would trust WK and to a lesser degree even the Irish builder, rather than Ames. The man simply is a compulsive LIAR.
£40m window dressing? Yeah right. Wonder what your reaction will be if DA wins. Perhaps your snout will be in the trough then.
Appointment Changes
23/12/2014 – CAMBRIDGE MAY LIMITED – Alistair Rae Burns resigned as Director
Getting ready for the big Bang!!!
Can’t be much money in talking wills LOL.
Especially when they have to pay back £104k to the God squad.
In the last year both directors attempted to sell their houses. The borrowed £104,000 from the bloke who set up Halkham Compensation. He apparently was going to write it off, as you do!!
I hope they know anything that’s been done to protect for example assets can be undone 😉
Happy Christmas Rob & Alistair.
Well done Paul and RL.
We seem to have had a Paul Walton love in today. 💕💕wonder if the relationship with GF will last? 💔
Paul will be posting his own praise, he loves to be loved and the centre of attention, but really likes his commission from RL more!
I wonder if that was paid out of the DD pot that the RL contributors paid for. If I had paid £240 I would want to see where the money went.
@BWiN
I wonder if you could ask Dave if he could send me some advice on my contract that is over 8 years old and will the property be built in 2015?
Solicitors are audited? What’s your point except showing you know nothing about accountancy and accounts? Suppose you work for Dave?
Somewhere in the UK, is it relevant if your property has been built? Transfer to a similar property at BB and pay in cash the full amount and you will get title to a suitable property.
Paid 240 to RL which is less than this year’s invoice from Guardian. Apparently Guardian’s costs are even greater to manage funds that have gone tits up like harlequeer. Can ‘wonder Dave’ have a word with Guardian about the fees? (oh no, forgot RL are going to do that for us)
“Transfer to a similar property at BB and pay in cash the full amount and you will get title to a suitable property”
1) Not part of the deal. Financing was meant to be provided. No-where to be seen.
2) No published room revenues from BB. Cannot compare units based on resort. People’s contracts (and thus prices) are meant to be based on the projected revenue. Each hotel will have different revenue, and thus if you are stupid enough to think about changing your contract, you only have yourself to blame (if the things ever get built) in moving around just based on asset / capital appreciation value.
3) So I’m to trust a conman who has lied constantly (banking error for interest payments) to renegotiate a contract? No thanks.
4) Where did “pay in cash” come into the equation? I don’t remember being sold a unit where I had to find double what I already invested in cash. You must be deluded if you think it appropriate to even suggest that.
The vindictive and aggressive nature of your posts suggests to me you work either within, or close to Harlequin.
@Anon
I’d rather be broke than morally reprehensible.
I find your post insinuating and immature. It would not bother me apart from the tonality Not only disturbing, but also an eye-opener into the character who produced it; and indeed likely has a hand in the way Harlequin is run. No wonder the SFO was called.
If I had to work with such an arrogant and condescending individual, I would have ran as far away as possible. Something I wish I had known when it was all smiles & glossy brochures.
I didn’t take £440m.
I didn’t promise mortgages.
I didn’t sell units on land I didn’t own.
I didn’t lie.
I didn’t pay my friends massive commission.
I didn’t cheat people out of their savings to buy property in Dubai.
My family didn’t take director’s loans which they cannot pay.
I didn’t open litigation with most contractors who’s ever worked with me.
I didn’t hire a dodgy builder without a contract.
I didn’t lie in court.
I didn’t waste investor’s money on needless litigation.
Anonymous 11:19, well you sound a wonderful person, straight an honest, almost Lord Jesus Christ himself.
So a long list of what you didn’t do, but what did you do.
What you didn’t do was your own DD because you were blinded by high returns and greed, you have reaped what you sowed.
Anon,
wow, you sound almost like the lord Dave Ames himself, blaming investors, for investing in the harlequin business model.
what is your interest in this scheme, were you one of the agents that profited from mis selling scam investment ?
@anonymous 11.19
Add to that list,
I didn’t go to school.
The grammar is awful.
Doh! It’s the Mrs and you!! Am I the only one who is articulate in English?
Enjoy the last Christmas in your current homes.
“Angela”, if you felt fretted by my grammatical whims, I shudder to think of your rage at your seeing some of the real prosaic atrocities out there.
What’s happened to the troll who says he has had sight of the ICAEW response to CA. Why has it not been posted on here? More anti HP trolling bulkshit.
Dave how is your freezing order 😉
Merry Christmas everyone. Let’s hope that things are resolved one way or another by this time next year! All the best
Same to you Sid, take care.
@ Anonymous 11.21 am and everyone else Happy Christmas,
ps the ICAEW news is not bullshit, just waiting for Carols take on it, she was the complainant not me, so let her explain what happened 🙂
In the meantime enjoy the holidays.
All of a sudden new shiny teef are not as important, are they you old hag.
Looks like the Christmas spirit soon disappeared. Well done moron!
The New York Times is reporting this morning that TripAdvisor has
been fined 500,000 Euros for running phony reviews. In addition
some hotels are now padding guests bills if they run an unflattering
review…Buona Natale !
http://m.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11687817.Crass_Facebook_post_about_Glasgow_lorry_tragedy_sparks_York_police_investigation/
Appropriately in York home of the king of abuse!
Just be careful what you say about each other, if a complaint is made, it will be followed up!
Welcome news…. it is presently 81F in Kingstown with a light sprinkle.
A clear/overcast day is predicted for tomorrow. Many thanks to
St Jude for small favors granted.
Privy Council.
Sort it out.
Dear All,
After the well-documented difficulties of recent times and 2013 in particular, I am happy to report that 2014, whilst not without its trials and tribulations, has been a successful year for Harlequin and we really are the strongest we have been for some time.
The restructuring effort has been challenging and is taking longer than expected; however, not only have we maintained our strength with award-winning Caribbean hotels confirming Harlequin as serious contenders in the region, but we have also built momentum and made considerable progress by pushing through completions, managing and defeating litigious challenges, robustly defending the business against malicious and illegal attacks, and rebuilding Harlequin’s reputation.
We are continuing to make progress with the 120 people looking to complete in Buccament Bay Resort, although this has proved to be a difficult task as it is a ground-breaking achievement in St Vincent. It has been frustrating for everyone concerned but, as the finalised investor completions show, we are getting there and doing everything we can to propel Harlequin to the next level by building a sustainable future.
The new international airport in St Vincent, although delayed for opening this year, looks as if it will finally be open in 2015. Once it does open, it will be a great step forward in turning Buccament Bay Resort into one of the eminent hotels in not only the Caribbean but I believe the world. It must also be remembered that once the airport does open, capital growth will increase and the value of the properties will be substantially more than at today’s valuation.
St Vincent’s Searchlight newspaper has also published an excellent airport update in their e-newspaper (normally their articles appear on their news website, but it has not appeared at the time of writing); however, it will only be available until Friday when the next edition is published. You can view it at the link below.
With the monies that we receive from completions at Buccament Bay Resort, we are continuing to develop and expand the Resort. In the last four months we have opened a further 23 villas and are in the process of completing further facilities to enable us to increase the revenue for the Resort with the increase of visitors using these additional villas. We continue to look for investors to complete at Buccament Bay Resort, If you are interested in , we would ask you to speak to Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning to see how we can work together to include you in this process. They can be contacted via:
Moving on, I have a few important updates to share, including exciting announcements regarding H, Barbados and the Trust.
H, Barbados construction planned to restart in 2015
In 2013, construction on H, Barbados was well underway until Harlequin faced what was to become a perfect storm of difficulties. Against the odds, Harlequin has adapted and not only survived but continued to succeed during its restructuring phase by firmly establishing two successful hotels in the Caribbean tourism industry and achieving investor completions. Inevitable success in the Wilkins Kennedy litigation and establishment of the Trust will truly ignite Harlequin’s “Phase Two” of building, opening and completing on properties in our other Caribbean development sites; however, in the meantime, Harlequin continues pushing ahead in its restructuring efforts.
Consequently, Harlequin is excited to announce that construction at H, Barbados is expected to restart in the first quarter of 2015 with a provisional opening date intended for summer 2016. This will be made possible with funding by instalment payments from H, Barbados investors. In essence, this is similar to how Harlequin has continued to develop its existing hotels by opening new villas at Buccament Bay Resort and upgrading the accommodations at blu, St Lucia with completion monies.
The construction funding process is directly linked to investor participation, which may mean that, as with Buccament Bay Resort completions, investors without the necessary funds may be required to relocate their investment to another development to allow an able and willing investor from the Harlequin investor base to fulfil their investment.
As Harlequin manages the practicalities of pursuing this considerable progress, we hope it can be appreciated that, in the face of all of the adversity encountered by Harlequin, this is an extremely positive move that can only benefit the business and investors in the long term, not to mention strengthening Harlequin’s foothold in the Caribbean travel industry.
I am sure you agree that it is incredibly exciting that, after all that has happened, Harlequin is looking to open a third hotel and “H” will certainly be a stunning and exciting new product for the region. The hotel is partially-built and we already have a number of investors ready to complete. All monies received from these completions will go towards the finishing of the hotel, so investors can either pay in one lump sum or over the period of the building.
Due to the success of our other hotels, many in the travel industry are pushing me to complete H, Barbados as soon as possible because they appreciate the potential and are excited for a new, original luxury product in Barbados. If you have invested in any of Harlequin’s resorts and are in a position to complete, we would like to hear from you to discuss the possibility, subject to availability, of moving your investment to H, Barbados. Please contact Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning for details.
Trust registration deadline confirmed for 31st March, 2015
Harlequin has sought to alleviate the stress imposed by third parties by allowing investors and agents the time to digest the Trust documentation. It has also been necessary to allow time for the SIPP providers to work with us towards entering SIPP investors into the Trust. Now we are approaching what will be a very important year for Harlequin, it is essential that we have a deadline in sight.
The deadline for investors to join the Trust has been set as Tuesday 31st March, 2015. We believe this will be enough time to allow Harlequin to meet the requirements of SIPP providers, but in the event that more time is needed for SIPP investors to enter the Trust, we will keep the deadline in place for direct investors.
Investors can apply to enter the Trust now by filling in the Deed of Waiver (download links are provided below) and having it signed by a witness.
There are two options available. You can fill in the form electronically in Word format or print it from PDF format and fill it in manually.
Please download the Deed of Waiver from one of the links below and fill in the sections on pages 6 and 7.
If you have any questions, please contact us on 01268 24 24 60 and one of the team will gladly assist.
We will be in contact in the New Year with a comprehensive FAQ document, which will hopefully answer any questions that investors may have.
Professional Negligence claim against Wilkins Kennedy
The claim is ongoing in accordance with the anticipated timelines set out by Harlequin’s expert legal team. A case management conference is scheduled for late January, at which time a trial timetable will be set by the courts. We expect and are working towards a trial date in 2015.
The following two updates may not appear directly relevant to investors or your investments, but they are in fact highly relevant because they further strengthen Harlequin’s claim against Wilkins Kennedy, which, as noted above, will be a major catalyst for Harlequin’s and investors’ future success.
BFP subpoena: business associate of Jeremy Newman and Padraig O’Halloran uncovered
As we informed you previously, Harlequin successfully subpoenaed WordPress for the IP and email addresses of defamatory commenters on the anonymous blogging website Barbados Free Press. Following cost-effective investigations, we can reveal that we have identified the primary, obsessive defamatory commenter.
The commenter in question, who uses multiple usernames, including “Ralph” (he was primarily known as “API” or “Malcolm White” on the Regulatory Legal forum), is a business associate of Jeremy Newman and Padraig “Paudie” O’Halloran. Jeremy Newman, of course, previously worked for Wilkins Kennedy and settled out of court for defamation and libel against Harlequin for creating the “Harlecon” website, whilst Padraig O’Halloran was found guilty of fraudulent misappropriation against Harlequin’s Buccament Bay Resort development.
Additionally, the commenter is a self-declared witness for the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) who has been behind a number of online campaigns designed to turn investors against Harlequin and bring down the business. At present, Harlequin is in the process of preparing a claim for defamation and the commenter’s actions have served to undermine yet another SFO witness and prominent Harlequin antagonist from the infamous group of known associates.
ICAEW complaint update
In a meeting with Harlequin, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) has confirmed that it is lodging a complaint against Jeremy Newman, which will be considered by an independent committee. The ICAEW has also confirmed that the complaints against Wilkins Kennedy and Martin MacDonald remain under investigation.
Las Canas Resort, The Hideaway, Two Rivers, The Marquis Estate, The Merricks Resort
I am often asked about Harlequin’s other developments, so let me assure you that they are in our plans, but we need the Trust in place in order to raise finance to build and open these projects. I can confirm, and our legal team can verify, that the last several months have seen a marked increase in interest from financial institutions. However, whilst there is interest and opportunity out there, please appreciate the difficulty this type of investment presents as any potential partner must be considered in the context of the investor base and Harlequin and support the wider business. This is not a straightforward undertaking.
Now that the unfair circumstances and attacks we have endured are clearer to objective observers, there is more confidence and greater appreciation for the potential of our brand. Once the Trust is established and we win the Wilkins Kennedy claim, I am very confident that development on these projects will restart soon after, enabling Harlequin to deliver the investments.
I wish all of our investors a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I truly believe that 2015 will be Harlequin’s year.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Ames
sign the deed of waiver and all will be well.
Well folks -there you have it. Words direct from the mouth of
Dave Ames…”this is not a straightforward undertaking”. Pray tell
what does that mean? Is it a “devious undertaking” ?
Finance is just around the corner folks. The letters of intent we were led along with last time have turned out to be more BS from the GV, but don’t worry because there is a “marked increase in interest from financial institutions” and this time he’s telling the truth, honest.
Does he actually think anyone believes this anymore? How long does it take to select one financier from all the hundreds that are just so desperate to throw their clients cash down the same hole that the GV threw £440m?
A lot of sweet soothing words, but the truth is still..no financing is available to complete any project.
H Barbados was supposed to be open in 2012. Now its 2016! Wow, that`s progress.Who ones the property, Harlequin or David Ames?
Some points to make;
Dear All,
After the well-documented difficulties of recent times and 2013 in particular, I am happy to report that 2014, whilst not without its trials and tribulations, has been a successful year for Harlequin and we really are the strongest we have been for some time.
The restructuring effort has been challenging and is taking longer than expected; however, not only have we maintained our strength with award-winning Caribbean hotels confirming Harlequin as serious contenders in the region, but we have also built momentum and made considerable progress by pushing through completions, managing and defeating litigious challenges, robustly defending the business against malicious and illegal attacks, and rebuilding Harlequin’s reputation.
” Which litigious challenges are they referring to? The Davies case? The RL case ? And what is meant by an illegal attack ?”
We are continuing to make progress with the 120 people looking to complete in Buccament Bay Resort, although this has proved to be a difficult task as it is a ground-breaking achievement in St Vincent. It has been frustrating for everyone concerned but, as the finalised investor completions show, we are getting there and doing everything we can to propel Harlequin to the next level by building a sustainable future.
” To date Harlequin have publicly acknowleged “TWO” completions.”
The new international airport in St Vincent, although delayed for opening this year, looks as if it will finally be open in 2015. Once it does open, it will be a great step forward in turning Buccament Bay Resort into one of the eminent hotels in not only the Caribbean but I believe the world. It must also be remembered that once the airport does open, capital growth will increase and the value of the properties will be substantially more than at today’s valuation.
“What is ‘TODAYS’ valuation, and stating that BBay will in Ames’ humble opinion be one of the eminent hotels in the World, seriously ? ”
St Vincent’s Searchlight newspaper has also published an excellent airport update in their e-newspaper (normally their articles appear on their news website, but it has not appeared at the time of writing); however, it will only be available until Friday when the next edition is published. You can view it at the link below.
“Sorry can’t view it because as you stated it is not available, so why direct us to something that is not available?”
With the monies that we receive from completions at Buccament Bay Resort, we are continuing to develop and expand the Resort. In the last four months we have opened a further 23 villas and are in the process of completing further facilities to enable us to increase the revenue for the Resort with the increase of visitors using these additional villas. We continue to look for investors to complete at Buccament Bay Resort, If you are interested in , we would ask you to speak to Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning to see how we can work together to include you in this process. They can be contacted via:
” Am lost here, there have only been two completions to date, so where did the money come from to complete the additional units, The two completions. ?
Moving on, I have a few important updates to share, including exciting announcements regarding H, Barbados and the Trust.
H, Barbados construction planned to restart in 2015
In 2013, construction on H, Barbados was well underway until Harlequin faced what was to become a perfect storm of difficulties. Against the odds, Harlequin has adapted and not only survived but continued to succeed during its restructuring phase by firmly establishing two successful hotels in the Caribbean tourism industry and achieving investor completions. Inevitable success in the Wilkins Kennedy litigation and establishment of the Trust will truly ignite Harlequin’s “Phase Two” of building, opening and completing on properties in our other Caribbean development sites; however, in the meantime, Harlequin continues pushing ahead in its restructuring efforts.
” Inevitable success in the Wilkins Kennedy case? And the establishment of the trust ?
How can Ames claim inevitable success in a case yet to be heard in court? Civil cases by there very nature at best are 50/50. And what happens if Ames looses? And the trust has been rumbling on and on? What about those who seek not to join a trust?
Consequently, Harlequin is excited to announce that construction at H, Barbados is expected to restart in the first quarter of 2015 with a provisional opening date intended for summer 2016. This will be made possible with funding by instalment payments from H, Barbados investors. In essence, this is similar to how Harlequin has continued to develop its existing hotels by opening new villas at Buccament Bay Resort and upgrading the accommodations at blu, St Lucia with completion monies.
” Why no updates or verifiable proof of all this work?”
The construction funding process is directly linked to investor participation, which may mean that, as with Buccament Bay Resort completions, investors without the necessary funds may be required to relocate their investment to another development to allow an able and willing investor from the Harlequin investor base to fulfil their investment.
” Hang on mate, that’s not what our contracts state, 30% down with nothing else to pay till completion, that’s what you said, the construction funding was never linked to investor participation, never.”
As Harlequin manages the practicalities of pursuing this considerable progress, we hope it can be appreciated that, in the face of all of the adversity encountered by Harlequin, this is an extremely positive move that can only benefit the business and investors in the long term, not to mention strengthening Harlequin’s foothold in the Caribbean travel industry.
“Positive move for who? For Ames yes, for purchasera? No. Absolutely not.”
I am sure you agree that it is incredibly exciting that, after all that has happened, Harlequin is looking to open a third hotel and “H” will certainly be a stunning and exciting new product for the region. The hotel is partially-built and we already have a number of investors ready to complete. All monies received from these completions will go towards the finishing of the hotel, so investors can either pay in one lump sum or over the period of the building.
” Pay in one lump sum? Are you mad? Bad enough Ames is changing the original contract by looking for stage payments”.
Due to the success of our other hotels, many in the travel industry are pushing me to complete H, Barbados as soon as possible because they appreciate the potential and are excited for a new, original luxury product in Barbados. If you have invested in any of Harlequin’s resorts and are in a position to complete, we would like to hear from you to discuss the possibility, subject to availability, of moving your investment to H, Barbados. Please contact Dan Dalligan or Vinny Stenning for details.
” The travel industry is pushing you to complete, ?????? Purchasers have been pushing you to complete for years”
Trust registration deadline confirmed for 31st March, 2015
” Wow, and what happens if this deadline is not met?”
Harlequin has sought to alleviate the stress imposed by third parties by allowing investors and agents the time to digest the Trust documentation. It has also been necessary to allow time for the SIPP providers to work with us towards entering SIPP investors into the Trust. Now we are approaching what will be a very important year for Harlequin, it is essential that we have a deadline in sight.
” Am lost here, sorry, I thought the deadlines were written within the contracts ?”.
The deadline for investors to join the Trust has been set as Tuesday 31st March, 2015. We believe this will be enough time to allow Harlequin to meet the requirements of SIPP providers, but in the event that more time is needed for SIPP investors to enter the Trust, we will keep the deadline in place for direct investors.
” So there is or isn’t a deadline? And what are the ‘Requirements’ for SIPP investors?”
Investors can apply to enter the Trust now by filling in the Deed of Waiver (download links are provided below) and having it signed by a witness.
There are two options available. You can fill in the form electronically in Word format or print it from PDF format and fill it in manually.
Please download the Deed of Waiver from one of the links below and fill in the sections on pages 6 and 7.
If you have any questions, please contact us on 01268 24 24 60 and one of the team will gladly assist.
We will be in contact in the New Year with a comprehensive FAQ document, which will hopefully answer any questions that investors may have.
Professional Negligence claim against Wilkins Kennedy
The claim is ongoing in accordance with the anticipated timelines set out by Harlequin’s expert legal team. A case management conference is scheduled for late January, at which time a trial timetable will be set by the courts. We expect and are working towards a trial date in 2015.
“Looking forward to the updates from both sides”.
The following two updates may not appear directly relevant to investors or your investments, but they are in fact highly relevant because they further strengthen Harlequin’s claim against Wilkins Kennedy, which, as noted above, will be a major catalyst for Harlequin’s and investors’ future success.
BFP subpoena: business associate of Jeremy Newman and Padraig O’Halloran uncovered
As we informed you previously, Harlequin successfully subpoenaed WordPress for the IP and email addresses of defamatory commenters on the anonymous blogging website Barbados Free Press. Following cost-effective investigations, we can reveal that we have identified the primary, obsessive defamatory commenter.
The commenter in question, who uses multiple usernames, including “Ralph” (he was primarily known as “API” or “Malcolm White” on the Regulatory Legal forum), is a business associate of Jeremy Newman and Padraig “Paudie” O’Halloran. Jeremy Newman, of course, previously worked for Wilkins Kennedy and settled out of court for defamation and libel against Harlequin for creating the “Harlecon” website, whilst Padraig O’Halloran was found guilty of fraudulent misappropriation against Harlequin’s Buccament Bay Resort development.
” How do you know who was known as API or Malcolm White on the RL forum? Did RL provide you with the IP addresses? Did API or Malcolm White ever have a discussion with RL? I thought the Harlecon settlement was subject to an NDA, so how do we know a settlement had been reached? Can you get Wilkins Kennedy or Mr. Newman to confirm this? Are you trying once again to drop RL in it from a very great height ? Was RL passing IP adresses from their forum to you, if so why ?
Additionally, the commenter is a self-declared witness for the Serious Fraud Office (“SFO”) who has been behind a number of online campaigns designed to turn investors against Harlequin and bring down the business. At present, Harlequin is in the process of preparing a claim for defamation and the commenter’s actions have served to undermine yet another SFO witness and prominent Harlequin antagonist from the infamous group of known associates.
” How do you know that the defamatory comments came from an SFO witness, how do you know that any SFO witness has been undermined, how do you know they are ‘self declared ‘, what is ‘ self declared’?
how do you know what defence any poster may profer, how the hell do you know that you will win any defamation case?
ICAEW complaint update
In a meeting with Harlequin, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) has confirmed that it is lodging a complaint against Jeremy Newman, which will be considered by an independent committee. The ICAEW has also confirmed that the complaints against Wilkins Kennedy and Martin MacDonald remain under investigation.
” The ICAEW act on complaints, they do not make them, what the hell does Ames mean here?”
Las Canas Resort, The Hideaway, Two Rivers, The Marquis Estate, The Merricks Resort
I am often asked about Harlequin’s other developments, so let me assure you that they are in our plans,
” In your plans? What does this mean? You took millions from purchasers for these properties.”
but we need the Trust in place in order to raise finance to build and open these projects. I can confirm, and our legal team can verify, that the last several months have seen a marked increase in interest from financial institutions. However, whilst there is interest and opportunity out there, please appreciate the difficulty this type of investment presents as any potential partner must be considered in the context of the investor base and Harlequin and support the wider business. This is not a straightforward undertaking.
“This is so far removed from your business plan, there was no mention of any difficulties when you took in tens of millions of dollars, how do we know this “business plan” will work where the other one has completely failed ? And what is this new business plan?”
Now that the unfair circumstances and attacks we have endured are clearer to objective observers, there is more confidence and greater appreciation for the potential of our brand. Once the Trust is established and we win the Wilkins Kennedy claim, I am very confident that development on these projects will restart soon after, enabling Harlequin to deliver the investments.
“So let’s get this straight, everything will be fine as long as everyone joins your trust and you beat Wilkins Kennedy, it looks like you have stuffed the SFO, by attacking another witness, and you even get to drag Fatchett back into the mess,
My take on this, you have lost your mind. I mean totally lost your friggin mind”.
I wish all of our investors a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I truly believe that 2015 will be Harlequin’s year.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Ames
Something not right here, why not name the defamer? Something really not right with this, and a very poorly constructed update, gives no confidence whatsoever to any purchasers.
Pardon me if I’m wrong but isn’t there the little matter of a 31 Dec 2014
deadline for Ames to pay Preconco/Mark Maloney before anything can
be done at H Hotel. In a weeks time Mr Ames may find out that he
no longer owns the hotel.
Ah the “folks” are back. Looking back through some old ramblings on BFP, “folks” was a common expression used by our old friend Ralph. Funny how the case review date scheduled for January has not been queried again. Could it be that this date is accurate, unlike the contrary rantings in an earlier post who wanted to tell us otherwise.
Under pressure RL agreed that posters could not use the false ID of Ralph or API and agreed to use the ID of Malcome White. One of the conditions of registering on the RL forum was that posters had to use there true names. For some reason RL initially allowed the IDs of Ralph and API. While RL were supposidly working as a partner with HP to facilitate a rescue they were allowing malicious postings on their forum. I wonder if RL now feel morally obliged to confirm the IDs of Ralph etc
I quote from Ames above “following cost effective investigations, we
can reveal that we have identified the primary, obsessive, defamatory
commenter. ” If Ames already knows why doesn’t he tell it to himself.
So that’s it. All of the SFO witnesses have been proven by Dave Ames to have been liars, so just one little question, why don’t the serious fraud office see it the way Dave Ames does ?
Mr Ames talks about finance, the only carrot he has to persuade investors to sign the waiver form, what Mr Ames doesnt explain, is how finance helps the investors that trusted him with 400 million.
the new investment company, probably little more than a figment of Dave’s fantasies, would have no legal obligation to honour the contracts, To believe that a new finance company would share the profits with investors, would be more foolish than believing harlequin could build 9000 hotel rooms without finance.
Well well, where exactly does it say that DA claims that all the SFO witnesses have been proved to be liars. Do you actuall read what people say before posting such crap.
Anonymous 9.04 pm, you have to agree that the only crap of relevance being posted was the latest update from Ames.
What about this ?
“I am sure you agree that it is incredibly exciting that, after all that has happened, Harlequin is looking to open a third hotel and “H” will certainly be a stunning and exciting new product for the region.”
What about Merricks, Marquis, Two Rivers, Hideaway and Las Cana, some 5,000 units sold on these resorts.
So yeah, it’s incredibly no just incredible that Ames has the gall to state the above. Exciting, no I don’t think so. 76 more rooms complete by 2016.
Due to the success of our other hotels, many in the travel industry are pushing me to complete H, Barbados as soon as possible because they appreciate the potential and are excited for a new, original luxury product in Barbados.
Why aren’t the travel guys pushing Ames to open the Merricks, why just the H Hotel. ? Was Merricks not supposed to be an exciting new original product, was the Marquis Estate not supposed to be an exciting new original product?
What about this statement by Ames in the context of the liquidation of HMSSE and ASOL ? And now the HMRC interest and the little matter of c£ 80 million owed to HMSSE ?
“After the well-documented difficulties of recent times and 2013 in particular, I am happy to report that 2014, whilst not without its trials and tribulations, has been a successful year for Harlequin and we really are the strongest we have been for some time.”
How the hell can Ames state that Harlequin are the strongest they have been for some time, shareholders of HMSSE unable to repay shareholders loans, a massive increase in reported litigation in St. Vincent. HMSSE in liquidation owing c £ 80 million. A collapse in sales. Admitted difficulties with completions ……., Updates from the SFO, charges on Ames family personal assets in the UK, ………………………..How does Ames measure success, is he redefining success?
“Now that the unfair circumstances and attacks we have endured are clearer to objective observers,”
Objective observers can see that the business model has failed and new sales have dried up so Ames now needs original purchasers to fund the build. That’s what objective observers see, they also see that Ames is now reliant on the outcome of litigation in order to suceed, that’s what they now see, they see the SFO / Essex Police are still investigating Ames and his companies, they see HMRC now taking a look at Ames and his companies, they see that Ames aligns success with everyone signing away their rights, the waiver, that’s what they see.
I’m waiting for the update that tells us that the Ames family is repaying the loans that they extracted from the business. It is claimed that they don’t have the personal means to repay the funds but surely this can’t be true. The funds seem to have been used to enrich their personal asset base through large houses and so this process could easily be reversed to repay their dues.
Repaying the loans could start the financial recovery of the company and also demonstrate a degree of respect and honor towards the purchasers of properties. Refusal to do this makes the update above look like so much hot air.
Another “update” – vindictive bile from someone who cannot comprehend that “his” actions might have caused the mess he’s in.
Here are some observations for anyone interested:
“restructuring effort has been challenging and is taking longer than expected”
What restructuring efforts?
HMSSE was put into liquidation (with outstanding director’s loans and debts), “ASOL” was put into liquidation. By all accounts, D Ames still owns all the “RDC’s” and his wife/son still own “Harlequin Travel” – both of which should be used to pay back victims.
Real restructuring would consolidate the asset base into a single legal entity, provide a clear structure of land ownership, and generally assist the victims in appreciating the scale of Harlequin’s enterprise, as well as future growth.
“capital growth will increase and the value of the properties will be substantially more than at today’s valuation”
It’s not “capital growth” that people bought. It was a return. The ability to earn an income from the room revenues. This is the basis for everything from the sales spiel to the “virtual mortgages”.
Even the famed video of Ames on fantasy island told us that Harlequin will not have to raise any external finance as the room rates will pay for it. You can see the video here: youtube dot com/watch?v=NuVTUceuArU
Further, capital growth cannot be directly measured, thus rendering the claim that “capital growth will accelerate” as nothing more than a speculative guess. To make it an objective statement, he needs to provide current valuations, projected valuations, and base the “future growth” on historic capital growth in the region. Nothing of which has been provided.
“not only the Caribbean but I believe the world”
And you’re basing this assumption on what exactly? I saw Paul Walton’s photos. It’s no Trump Tower. This has to be one of the biggest lies to date.
“increase the revenue for the Resort”
How much revenue is the resort generating? No-one has ever seen the accounts for this. For all the victim’s know, it could be operating at a loss, propped up with their deposits.
“Inevitable success in the Wilkins Kennedy litigation”
Don’t count your chickens.
“Harlequin continues pushing ahead in its restructuring efforts”
Again, what “restructuring” efforts? I have not seen any structural changes apart from conning victims out of £350k in director’s loans, and property in Dubai…
“This will be made possible with funding by instalment payments from H, Barbados investors”
H Hotel victims do nothing.
” In essence, this is similar to how Harlequin has continued to develop its existing hotels by opening new villas at Buccament Bay Resort and upgrading the accommodations at blu, St Lucia with completion monies.”
Harlequin’s “business model” has morphed into conning victims out of more money. As they never had a financial backer, they are now tapping the only resource they have – their current victims.
When completion money runs dry, they will have to raise capital from external sources, unless their hotels pay for themselves. At this time, a determined group could derail this train wreck by preventing them from conning any banks out of money.
“may be required to relocate their investment ”
No one is “required” to do anything. H Hotel victims should not change your contracts at any cost. Ames is on the ropes – do not give him any more time. He is a criminal and needs to be taken to jail.
“entering SIPP investors into the Trust”
SIPP victims will do much better by avoiding the trust at all costs. If they are stupid enough to give a conman 5 more years (which, by the way, pushes into his “retirement”), you’ll be much better suited forming a consortium to pick up the pieces when the train wreck eventually comes crashing to a halt.
“allow Harlequin to meet the requirements of SIPP providers”
What requirements might these be? To date, SIPP providers have “valued” the Harlequin scheme at £1 each. They have also issued letters stipulating that investors “do nothing” towards any trust proposal.
SIPP providers cannot provide advice to clients. They, therefore, have absolutely no sway over whether victims join a trust or not, especially when it waives their rights for 5 years.
This statement is not only grossly misleading, but also criminally inept.
“they further strengthen Harlequin’s claim against Wilkins Kennedy”
Ah, now we can see why Ames felt it apt to waste £5m of victims’ money on failed litigation in Ireland (I say “failed” because he hasn’t received any of the $1.5m awarded, which is under appeal).
Now I see why Ames felt it necessary to spend more of victims’ money on litigation in California. Everyone, it’s okay. GV was working towards building a better case against Wilkins Kennedy!
So with this in mind, you must remember that even if WK lose the case & have to pay all the money that little legs is demanding, he’ll have still dropped £5m + California costs (unkown) to get it. £30m – £5m = £25m to build with.
“primary, obsessive defamatory commenter”
Robert Storey?
“” How do you know who was known as API or Malcolm White on the RL forum? Did RL provide you with the IP addresses? Did API or Malcolm White ever have a discussion with RL? I thought the Harlecon settlement was subject to an NDA, so how do we know a settlement had been reached? Can you get Wilkins Kennedy or Mr. Newman to confirm this? Are you trying once again to drop RL in it from a very great height ? Was RL passing IP adresses from their forum to you, if so why ?”
Amen
“I can confirm, and our legal team can verify, that the last several months have seen a marked increase in interest from financial institutions”
That’s nice.
Why didn’t this happen before you promised people “virtual mortgages”?
More lies I’m afraid. You are a lying conman David Ames. You cannot deliver what you have promised & your whole scheme is a fraud. You are a liar and a cheat.
“difficulty this type of investment presents as any potential partner”
The “type” of investment being a scam?
“clearer to objective observers,”
I am an objective observer. Your bullying, evasion & general ineptitude have done nothing but set me completely against your hyperbole-ridden speculative scheme.
If you wanted to set the record for “objective observers”, you would publish the facts about the business – who owns the land, how much money you took in, how much was spent in different resorts, who the “financiers” are – and more importantly – what terms are they offering to “invest”.
You would also come clean about your speckled past, questionable antics (HMSSE directors’ loans), and constant fraudulent misrepresentation of your products.
“Once the Trust is established and we win the Wilkins Kennedy claim”
Bold statements.
…….
The reality is that Harlequin has not fulfilled any of their promises. Their cajoling people into “completing” is beyond me, and their repose to the remaining 6000 victims is nothing short of scandalous.
The bare-faced cheek of getting H Hotel victims to pay for the hotel is as inhuman as Auschwitz victims cremating their own dead.
The facts are that Ames’ scheme has failed. It failed the day he didn’t get financial backing when he was selling properties under false pretences that people would get access to “virtual mortgages”.
What we see today is a botched effort to try and keep little legs out of jail for fraud.
A very well written comment
Anonymous
December 26, 2014 at 12:16 pm
“The bare-faced cheek of getting H Hotel victims to pay for the hotel is as inhuman as Auschwitz victims cremating their own dead.”
You are one very sick person. That is one observation I am not interested in!
Indeed, I can find no recent reference on the Searchlight newspaper website to the Argyle Airport Construction, but this one from Sept (only three months ago) by I Witness News, is quite revealing. Folks in the construction industry are pretty sure this project will not be finished in 2015.
Even if it does get finished by some miracle in 2015, major Airlines will not just establish flights there..just because it is a new airport in the Caribbean. Where will the hundreds of thousands of tourists stay? Oh, I forgot, BB added another 23 villas this year..Ralph Gonsalves is just as delusional as another Vincentian passport holder we know.
From 2005……”Dr Gonsalves was careful to put his personal stamp on the enterprise. “Personally, I have been tireless in my efforts on the International Airport Project”, he advised, one-quarter of the way through his presentation. “I have spent countless man-hours on this Project at home and abroad, in divers lands. I am fully satisfied that the government’s decisions on this matter are correct and that the international airport will be an operational and functional reality by 2011, at the latest.”
It`s not only 3 years late but the cost has more than doubled!
Cubans were to do the majority of the work on the runway…as we all know, they are experts at construction…especially airports.
The same poster who has previously compared DA to Hitler.
It just confirms the man is insane.
He is worse than Hitler in my mind – Hitler never did me any damage.
Dave Ames will have difficulty in re starting H Hotel Barbados.
Notwithstanding the finance issue, the first 3 million raised will need to be offset against existing debt.
Tender documents will need to be created, tenders from suitable contractors will need to assessed, contracts written and signed.
Statutory obligations will need to be addressed in Barbados.
A further 2-3 million will need to be made available to the contractor for mobilisation.
Or is Ames just going to employ Campion again ?
Ames has made agreements to repay a number of purchasers, this is another couple of million.
Ames has some serious ongoing litigation to deal with, for one the Wilkins Kennedy case, and even if he wins, the immediate funds required for this case are substantial, impacting on cash flows.
His criminal lawyers and those of his family will be costing a pretty penny too.
There is also the cloud of the Liquidated HMSSE, the liquidators could call in debts due to that company at any time.
And the restart of the H Hotel is predicated on existing purchasers continuing to fund the build.
Existing purchasers have no guarantees that the funds will be used exclusively for the build. Ames’ lawyers will almost certainly claim that the monies paid over will have been used by Ames in the normal course of business.
Paying existing debts would be classified as such, anyone considering paying across any further funds in the absense of audited accounts, build plans, schedules, budgets, and whilst Ames is being investigated for Serious Criminal Fraud needs to have a very long hard think about things.
The update from Dave Ames is not just inaccurate, it is a gross missrepresentation of the facts as they pertain, and the Update itself may be a criminal act. The update is designed to illicit even further funds from victims, but the update is sadly lacking in any demonstrable fact.
Calling the outcome of the Wilkins Kennedy case inevitable, even before both sides have made their first appearances in front of a judge is bizarre. Wilkins Kennedy and their insurers have very deep pockets, unlike Ames who’s family are unable to repay the modest sums they borrowed from HMSSE.
I suspect that this update is making the Serious Fraud Office very happy indeed.
You don’t need deep pockets if your QC is on NWNF. It doesn’t matter how deep WK pockets are, could their reputation stand a court case. Even one of their star witnesses being forced to resign from WK.
@ the Sicko is back
Very simple Hegelian Dialectic really
Ames = Evil Hitler = Evil Investors = Good Prisoners = Good
Anonymous, So Mr. Ames is hoping to force some cash out of Wilkins Kennedy by threatening to drag their good name through the courts otherwise?
Well if Wilkins Kennedy have been as bad as Mr. Ames claims and given that Mr. Ames is always seeking justice, then why does Mr. Ames not let the courts decide the outcome.
And which star witness was forced to resign? Because Ames tells us someone was forced to resign does not necessarily mean that this is fact.
Ames told us about a Marina, this was not true. Ames stated that his companies were not controlled from the UK and not British and yet on another occasion stated that the Companies were British. So he lied here too.
So he says a witness was “Forced” to resign, I doubt many believe anything he says any more.
No Annon you plonker. Newman was forced to resign. WK good name. Give me a break. I suggest you read the submitted court papers. And your comment about “why does Mr Ames not let the courts decide the outcome” that is exactly what he wants. That is why he has submitted court papers.
Anonymous Ames claimed Newman was forced to resign, no one else ever said this.
The only one trying to damage the good reputation of a UK top 20 accountancy is a twice bankrupt, former double glazing salesman who is currently under criminal investigation by Essex Police and the Serious Fraud Office, the court papers you are referring to are the allegations submitted by Ames, if you look at the other court papers submitted by Wilkins Kennedy they deny any and all wrong doing, further more they assert that Dave Ames was operating a business akin to a Ponzi Scheme.
I cannot find anywhere, where previous to their involvement with Ames, have any of the parties to which Ames refers to on an almost constant basis any wrong doing on the part of anyone else.
I google Ames however, and as far back as the nineties Ames has had problems, bankrupt twice, problems with Thailand, Panama, The Caribbean, legal action against his former UK lawyers, the builder, Mr. Newman, his former accountants Wilkins Kennedy, the Guardian, Singing Pig, Architects, threatened litigation against countless others, Alan Bell ( former HHR vice president), Ridgeview Construction, Ken Picknell, Indigo Dive, and dozens of purchasers ( counter claims) to name but a few. Ames clearly stated that the only difference between him and Donald Trump was Donald Trump needed finance.
Ames opened up a can of worms by adding Wilkins Kennedy to his list of targets.
No other individual or family aside from the Ames family has done more to damage UK investor confidence in the overseas hotel sector, through their abject failure to manage and control their businesses.
Apologies for the TYPO
I cannot find anywhere, where previous to their involvement with Ames, have any of the parties to which Ames refers and complains about on an almost constant basis, engaged in any wrong doing.
Funny that, if Ames is to be believed he brings out the worst in so many people.
And let’s not forget what Carol said about BDO when they disclaimed the HMSSE accounts, she threw her toys out of the pram, claiming that they hadn’t a clue.
@Anon 7:10pm
I concur completely.
The man is a rogue. The family is abject in the extreme. Their scheme will hopefully implode in as feverish a publicity spree as it was proliferated.
Dave Ames won one defamation action, and that was against the singing pig, and Phil Martin, but much of what had been stated on the singing pig turned out to be true.
Ames threatened the Guardian news paper after they described Merricks as a dust bowl.
That was 2009, on the eve of 2015 Merricks is an abandoned rotting eyesore, the dust having blown away in the last 5 years, the dust being all that was there of Merricks.
Ames did NOT win a defamation action against Mr. Newman, the odious little man did not have the stomach to take that case all the way to trial.
No the same odious little man is talking about a further round of defamation litigation, I doubt this will ever see the inside of a courtroom either.
And yes Ames has already approached Wilkins Kennedy seeking an out of court settlement, when this was politely rejected by Dave Fenn managing partner of Wilkins Kennedy, Ames went running to the press with his story, Ames a man who states that he does not fight cases in the media, is the same individual who uses the media as a forum to peddle his litany of lies and uses the media in the hope that the adverse press coverage will force those like Wilkins Kennedy to capitulate and offer him some cash, (subject of an NDA of course) so he will disappear and find other victims that he can get his legal team to coerce money from.
Ames is no business man, he and his wife are vindictive, manipulative, dishonest, dangerous, litigious, liars.
They will continue to take cash, wreak havoc and destroy lives of countless people.
Why does Harlequin think they can spend years missing every contractual deadline and then dish out an ultimatum to purchasers to part with more cash that was never part of the original schedule of payments and completely at odds with the much lauded business model detailed in his much played video?
Isn’t it time for purchasers of property to start dishing out deadlines for Harlequin and the Ames to meet? Let’s start with the deadline to pay back the directors loans. I can’t see how the Chairman’s family can have any credibility until they repay this money. Purchasers could be a little more generous and give them all a couple of months to pay it back by 28 Feb 2015 perhaps.
Surely nobody will hand over any money at this stage. Won’t it just fill the battle chest to fund more rounds of litigation?
Any monies forked over at this point is paying for the shovel to dig
ones own grave.
As it has been pointed out several times, the WK case is now out of the hands of WK. It is in the hands of their insurers. There is also a case review in January. Your posting about an approach to WK about a settlement is fantasy land. And the “odious little man” got Harlecon shut down. No mention of that successes is there.
Anonymous, you are indeed correct, the WK case is in the hands of the insurers, and as both you and Ames will know, the insurers communicated the fact to Ames and his “expert” legal team that they ( the insurers) were more than happy to see Ames in court.
As a result Ames attempted, through the back door so to speak, to ask Mr. Dave Fenn, Managing Partner of Wilkins Kennedy, to consider a private settlement, subject to an NDA of course, negating the need to go to court. It was of course pointed out to Ames, that he could walk away at any stage as he was the complainant, but it was also pointed out that by allowing the case to go to a full trial, this would put closure on the matter once and for all, and remove the threat of further spurious litigation from Ames, his offer to settle was therefore politely rejected by Mr. Fenn and rightly so.
As for the case management conference, we only have Ames’ word that this is due to take place in January, although I do note from his update that he says ‘late’ January, I find it typical that Ames was not able to put a date down for this case management conference / review.
Nor does the case appear in any of the UK court schedules for January 2015. Perhaps this was an omission on the part of the court clerk.
But I along with many others have learned along time ago not to accept Ames’ word for anything.
The Odious little man you refer to, I presume you are referring to Ames here, did NOT get Harlecon shut down. Absolutely not, the site has been suspended at the request ( not demand) of a party unconnected to Harlequin, well not totally unconnected to Harlequin, but someone the odious little man, as you refer to Ames as, would prefer not to have sniffing around his businesses.
There was no order shutting down Harlecon, no judgment made against Mr. Newman, no adverse finding made against him, but most tellingly no apology from Mr. Newman, a fact acknowledged by Ames, a fact that irritated Ames. An apology that the Odious little man as you refer to him as, originally lied about.
Given that Ames did not succeed in shutting down Harlecon, it would have been pointless to point out this sucess, it is however worth pointing out the odious little man’s , as you refer to him as, failure to shut Harlecon down. That in itself is most telling.
But all this aside, soon if Ames is to be believed, all this and more can be aired in front of a defamation jury, when witness summonses are issued. It will be very revealing to discover what all those NDA’s were covering up. Very revealing indeed.
So according to the Update produced on here allegedly from Dave Ames, he is commencing a defamation action against a person or persons connected to Mr. Newman and the builder.
Now correct me if I’m wrong, but apparently Dave Ames did not win any defamation action against Mr. Newman, nor did he recieve an apology.
I have some understanding of the law in the UK. The defendant / defendants can compel witnesses to attend by way of witness summonses, so for example the defendant / defendants, could compel Mr. Newman to attend and the NDA that is currently in place would be removed for the purposes of the trial.
Indeed Mr. Fatchett of RL could also be compelled to attend, as could members of the Davies case and Carter Lemon Cameron, their NDA’s would be removed for the purposes of the trial. Mulberry Law, Wilkins Kennedy, Jeffries and DLA Piper all could be compelled to attend, as could some of the SIPP providers, James Baker could be compelled to attend perhaps to explain why or how non audited accounts were filed in St. Vincent.
For example questions could be put to various parties about Project Orange, finally that little chestnut could be put to bed.
A witness summons could be issued to David Man a former business partner of Ames, or to a retired bank manager perhaps. Or Michael Slade, foreign witnesses could be compelled to attend, Sam Commissong perhaps. Those who control PHIG could be called as witnesses. Even Andy Regan could be compelled to give evidence, even Hefin Rees. There are also other avenues open to defendants in which evidence could be obtained, but again one would need to know where to look.
In essence the law in the UK requires the defendant / defendants to back up his / her / their assertions or the allegations he / she / they may have posted on a public forum.
For instance if the defendant / defendants called Ames a liar, he / she / they, would have to prove it, if he / she / they said that Ames was a thief, he / she / they would have to prove it. If It was claimed that Ames conducted his business in an not so proper manner he / she / they would have to prove it.
So any defendant / defendants would need to know where to look.
I can understand Ames going after someone who may have little knowledge of the history of Ames and his companies, but to assert that Ames is seeking to take an associate of the builder and Mr. Newman to court for defamation is rather odd.
Why did Ames not name the person / persons they have identified, this I find odd. I also suspect that if indeed Ames intends to bring a case of defamation against an SFO witness, albeit self declared witness according to the Ames update, this in itself might pique the interest of the SFO, especially given that the Ames update refers to the discrediting of the witness.
I also cannot see the SFO wanting their entire case played out in front of a jury in a civil action and I suspect the SFO would petition a court to stay any defamation proceedings if the defendant / defendants were to issue a whole raft of witness summonses.
I can see why in some respects the defamation hearing might assist Ames but only in respect of causing issues for the ongoing criminal investigation.
The update itself may however not be genuine, we have no idea where it came from, no provenance, Ames can always deny the contents of the update. Afterall it was just one of thousands of posts on here, it wasn’t a screen shot of an email sent out by Harlequin.
I seriously doubt that any defamation case will be instigated against an associate of either the builder or Mr. Newman, the information these guys could have could be potentially explosive,
I suspect Ames needed to add this to his update to make it look like he was prepared to take on anyone and to shore up his assertions that he has done nothing wrong.
Whatever the reasons, this is unchartered water for Ames,
@WK and Harlecon, you obviously do not understand the use of parentheses. That’s these ” ” . They are used when someone else’s speech is used as a quotation. Let me explain it to you. The expression “odious little man” was yours or someone else’s description which was quoted, and not my description. So your attempt to be a little bit smart was really quite pathetic.
Investors it might be worth looking at the word Misrepresenttee in relation to your contract. What does it mean? Damages? It is too complicated for me.
If it is no good then I am sorry.
Looks like one of the Harlequin Trolls may have got at the cooking sherry lol, {the box of wine must be empty}, seems like they may have inadvertently let it slip that they too think Ames is an odious little man, I wonder will the Odious little man sue him for “deformation”, ‘deformation’ or even ( defamation).
Funny though that the only response by Anonymous to yet another comprehensive post was a weak denial that they called Ames an Odious little man. Lol. All anonymous had to do was refer to Ames as Ames and not an Odious little man, or was Anonymous meerly using and adjective to describe Ames. Who knows with Anonymous? He must be for turning, what with all the negativity surrounding Ames.
The Harlequin trolls look desperate
They even posted on C-Day
But where is the Ames family spending their hols? (apart from the convicted fraudster Matthew Ames who is still in the nick)
Tonight Matthew I will be ………..Odious. Yes Matthew my coat of many IDs has now changed. No longer am I Dave’s Disco, Whoisthefuss, anonymous etc etc I am going to settle on Odious (quite appropriate really) I will keep this ID for at least until my next post (oh no spare us another one).
16 posts on Christmas Day and 14 were from anti HP trolls! Obviously a bunch of sad Billy no mates with no one to spend Christmas Day with. Well Bob C and Tiny C another set of lies from another liar. And you wonder why no one believes a word the anti HP trolls post.
So, this year where DID the Ames family spend their hols ?
Anonymous for many of Ames’ victims Christmas Day would have been like any other day, bleak.
You do seem to forget or fail to understand the hardship generated by Ames through his failure to make interest payments.
So I would tone down the arrogant posts like the one about Christmas Day and as for anyone not believing what is being said on here, this is one of the main gripes Ames has in his defamation case, the Gripe being that many are believing what is said.
And frankly much of what is being said is true.
So it’s arrogant to point out when a blatant lie has been posted on here? That’s called censorship. And that is arrogant.
Who has a NDA around here? Everybody that has tried to work with Harlequin. However I do not have one.
Great timing Dave! very nice of you so send us the update on Christmas eve.
The usual deluded bull*hit coming from you, we really didn’t need to be reminded of YOU and the misery you have bought to 6000 of us, most are struggling with the debt and misery you have put on us, the one day when we would of liked to forget about the whole Harlequin disaster and you just reminded us. Thanks for that.
Have you forgot that the vast majority of the 6000 have probably made a complaint to the SFO.
Anonymous the arrogance is in making comments about those who posted on Christmas Day, victims of the Ames family, who have lost so much, for them Christmas Day is like every other day.
You seek to highlight what you see as a lie by what you call an anti Harlequin poster, yet you demonstrate absolute ignorance when it comes to the ongoing litany of blatant lies which have eminated from Harlequin and the Ames family since inception of their money making scheme.
It is you sir who are arrogant in the way you post and absolutely ignorant to the plight of thousands of Ames’ victims.
So please sir, if you wish to espouse the virtues of Ames, his family and his companies, provide us with something tangible that we can cling onto, otherwise it might be prudent of you to desist from overtly supporting the failure that is Ames, the Ames family and their myriad of companies.
In simple English unless you have something of value to bring to the discussions, maybe you should consider shutting up, you are doing nothing to paint Ames, his family and his companies in a better light.
Wilkins Kennedy’s insures will not have an NDA.
The NDA’s will be meaningless once Ames, his wife and Son commence defamation proceedings, because it is then that witness summonses will be issued, and a witness summons is not something which one would choose to ignore.
NDA’s will have no standing in a court of law, although I suspect Ames, Regan, along with Moses will do all they can to dissuade witnesses.
Ironically it could be this action by Ames and his family that will bring The Ames family down once and for all.
Roll on 2015
Ames looks so skint
What happens if he loses the WK action?
Anonymous, do you believe that Ames and his family are decent, and do you believe with Ames senior at the helm that the resorts will be built and investors will see returns?
Anonymous 7.43
You are in the Basildon bunker
@ anon 7.43. You are on the basildon bunker gravy train. Hopefully you will be joining the real world very shortly
Remember guys, all H Hotel investors “must” send your confirmation by 31st December………
No.
H Hotel victims DO NOTHING.
This could be the final play of this sorry saga. You do not owe a conman anything. He promised the mortgages, interest payments, finance, land ownership, “restructuring”, transparency, and it has all been lies.
Do yourselves a favour and do nothing.
They cannot do anything as long as your contract stands. They have not built anything. They are liars and cheats.
Can you explain why investors in H Hotel are “victims”? They signed contracts for a hotel development which has been delayed. It is now being restarted. How does that make them victims?
Nothing has been “restarted” at H hotel…for God`s sake , stop the lies!
As long as the H hotel investor is only in their twenties now, perhaps they may possibly be able to buy a packet of fags with their ‘return’ by the time they retire..
Apologies, “intention” to restart within a certain time scale. No lie intended.
No Anonymous, the H Hotel development stopped, was not delayed, it ran out of cash.
If the intention was to restart the H Hotel, was this on the back of the existing contracts, because the business model Ames initially used failed.
If the intention was different to the above, then Ames acknowleged that his business model was flawed and understood that to complete the H Hotel would mean tearing up original contracts and getting purchasers to pay for the build.
Intention is perhaps the wrong word to use in this context. Rescue Plan is far more appropriate, at least if Ames called it a rescue plan then it would be an acknowledgment of past mistakes and failures.
Something that stopped and the intention to restart has been delayed. If I was in a car that ran out of petrol then my journey has been delayed. You are using semantics over words. I have no idea what was in the H Hotel contracts but if they included stage payments then so be it.
Intention to restart? Only if they can convince the victims who bought into this scheme to hand over more of their hard earned money to the same man who managed to blow all the money they handed over in the first place. The same man who is now considerably better off that he was when he started this mess, and now lives in a fancy new house.
They’ll also need to pay off all the debts they ran up, and find contractors willing to work with the toxic brand that is HP, two more things that are unlikely.
I find the whole ideal of restarting ridiculous. It’s not as simple as the GV would have us believe. Even if the victims are stupid enough to hand over stage payments nothing will happen except more litigation. By the sound of it, Precono will soon have a charge over H hotel anyway, if not actually end up owning it.
Was there talk recently of about 100 investors who have handed over completion funds on BB to Harlequin and have not been able to complete.
It could be said that the monies have disappeared down the black hole and H Barbados will be no different.
There you go again with “victims” That is your opinion, but not everyone’s.
I think Ames and his Basildon bunker cronies think they have borrowed the money off us all for a very very long time. If we all start watching our diet, get fit and live to 120 or so this will all work out fine
Even Madoff knew when to fold his hand. Being “delusional” although
a recognized medical condition is not a defense in a court of law.
Excellent Analogy anonymous, “If I was in a car that ran out of petrol then my journey has been delayed.”
If however like Ames you knew the car was going to run out of petrol, why take the car out, unless like Ames you knew the car was going to run out of petrol, you also knew you had no cash, and you were hoping like Ames that when you had run out of petrol, some Good Samaritan would come to your rescue.
What you and Ames knew, your journeys were going to be delayed, not sure if you had cash to buy more petrol, but we sure as hell know Ames knew he had no cash to buy petrol, the question is, why did Ames start the journey in the first place?
You are correct, it is only an opinion but based on observable facts.
They aren’t investors. With an investment, you get your own money back plus a percentage. Those who “invested” have not had a return (except for Bob) and they will never see their money back. It’s been spent, of that much we know. Bob isn’t an investor either, not until he can get his money back out, and that seems highly unlikely.
They aren’t purchasers either. When you purchase something you exchange money for good or services. It seems 9000 purchases were made, yet there are only circa 100 “products” and nobody seems to be able to say who owns any of them. So 8900 of the purchases were for nothing, and the other 100 are a total mystery. It is claimed that there are 2 confirmed purchases, but with out independent verification this is something I just don’t believe.
So what do we have left? When someone takes your money and you get nothing in return, are you not a victim?
And now the Investors / Purchasers/ Victims are being asked for more money, just like a Nigerian email scam. I for one don’t believe any of it, but that’s just my opinion.
On 15 October BFP ran a thread titled: “Harlequin’s H Hotel: Latest
photos of an eyesore that spoils Barbados”…..in the third photo you can
see the public walkway that separates the hotel from the beach. I estimate
that at the widest there is only 20 feet of white sand. I would also
guess that if the hotel were ever finished some sort of security wall would
be erected on the hotel side of the walkway that would totally ruin any
chance of a beach view. Personally I rather admire the walkway and
think that ALL beaches on the island should have them. Another
point of concern is that the umbrellas in the picture are the outside dining
area of either a MacDonalds or a KFC. At one point in my life I lived
down wind of a KFC and sometimes the oder of frying chicken fat was
overwhelming.
@Anon, but if the car has a full tank of petrol at the beginning of the journey and when it needs refilling all the garages are closed then it is not the drivers fault. Perhaps there is a tanker drivers strike, that’s those who supply the fuel to refill the tank.
@ Anonymous another excellent analogy, the tanker drivers went on strike, in the case of Ames, we can equate the Tanker Driver to the financier providing finance, the H Hotel contracts like all the other contracts allow for a payment of 30% followed by the balance on completion.
So what you are saying in essence is that this is the fault of the financier, the delay is as a result of some issue on the financiers fault, the Tanker Strike reference, however we all know the Ames’ business model as portrayed by Ames negated the need for external finance. The business model so eloquently demonstrated by Ames at the Grove Hotel in 2009, or indeed his reference to difference between him and Donald Trump, that being that Donald Trump needed institutional finance.
Yes there was a Tanker Strike of sorts, the Administration then Liquidation of HMSSE, this caused the only available finance to Ames’ companies to dry up. But HMSSE was an Ames family business.
No my analogy with tanker drivers refers to the SIPP companies going on strike, so to speak.
Sorry Anonymous, but can you explain why this is the problem of the SIPP companies?
Whether the investment was via a SIPP, Cash or via a Mortgage the contracts allowed for a payment of 30% followed by the balance at completion, so please explain to me how the SIPP companies have anything to do with the current mess. ?
I didn’t say the problem was of the SIPP companies, but a problem caused by the SIPP companies.
Anonymous you are Vinnie Stenning.
Anonymous, why have the SIPP companies caused the problem?
A lot of blame for the poor progress on building the resorts is being laid at the door of the lack of finance being available following the 2008 banking crisis. There seems to be an implication that things would not have gone badly had the crisis not have happened. Am I missing something but one of the key promotional videos in which the chairman outlined the inspired business model, he explained that third party finance would not be necessary and investors need not worry if mortgages were not available. He explained that the income from BB would be more than adequate to make up for the lack of finance. Quite a few people were induced to purchase a property on the back of that claim no doubt. The investment and business model was marketed as watertight with mortgages available but, in the worst case scenario of these being withdrawn, the business was strong enough to allow purchasers to complete without them.
So why is there a problem at all? You explained the brilliant business model so can an HP supporter run us through the details of why it isn’t working? And please don’t tell us it has been derailed by a very small amount of misappropriated money that went into someone’s back pocket on account of there being no contract by which to measure the progress of the build programme. That old chestnut failed to convince years ago.
Yes the problem is to do with the SIPP companies. Sorry.
Does that add to the Irish builder, SFO, 2 sets of top 20 accountants, Irish builder’s “mate”, RL, HMRC, FCA, FSCS, 6000 victims, a roster of unpaid contractors and even God himself (who else sent the floods????) trying to “bring Harlequin down”?
It’s funny you should use a car analogy, I have one of my own…
Say you want to buy a new car for your growing family. Your old getaround was showing some wear-and-tear, beginning to get rusty & just wasn’t as efficient as it could be. Something new & improved is required.
So you tootle down to the nearest reputable used car sales place. A smiley man from Essex greets you. Not the tallest person who ever lived, but that’s okay. Hopefully he’s got some deals.
After the customary small talk, the little Essex bloke starts showing you around the stock. “This is a good runner” as he taps the worn tires of a red Nissan with his polished shoes.
Although the kind man is seems very trustworthy, you just don’t feel right about the cars he’s shown. You tell him that you need time to think about it.
At this point, he looks up directly at your face (it’s quite a stretch for his little neck), and with a more serious tone, says “If you don’t tell anyone, you can come in the back where the real deals are”. So you follow, part curious, part fascinated they have another area for “special” deals.
Past the spotless showroom, the pint sized salesman takes you into the rear of the forecourt, where a myriad of cars are parked – and clamped – in place. None have prices, and all are shiny, clean and new.
“These are our 100% finance options” he touts. “You pay us 30% now, and we fund the rest from selling your old motor”. “We reserve this for our most important clients, as it means that you basically pay nothing for your car. It’s totally risk free”.
“Risk free?”…. “what state are these in? What’s the catch?”
“No catch” he retorts. “We just sold a business, and used the cash to buy in some of these cars direct from the manufacturer, bypassing the franchisee, who normally marks up cost by 50%. You can get a brand new car for 30% the RRP. We even provide finance from your old one.
“I need some time”.
“Okay – I tell you what. I’ll throw in a guaranteed buyback. We’ll buy back the car off you within the first 2 years for any reason. This is like an extended refund policy, but because we aren’t officially selling these, we need to provide a cover”.
After a call to the wife, you decide to the take the punt. You go for the car, based solely on the fact that it’s a one-time offer. You somehow forget your logic and trust the small man with the shiny smile.
……
Fast forward 3 months and you are getting itchy about your car (which is yet to materialize).
After paying your 30%, you receive a contract which stipulates that the cars you saw were not actually owned by the company, and that you were in fact entered into a syndicate which was in the process of “securing the cars from the manufacturer”.
The car you had purchased was not even in this country, let alone in existence.
You start to make some enquiries, and find a forum where you find out the geezer who you sold you the motor wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. He was a twice bankrupted double glazing salesman who happened onto an incredible “idea” to get people incredible cars who could not afford them.
Only problem was that he didn’t actually have the cars.
He was merely providing a way for people to “afford” them.
This guy had been all over the UK, working with car showrooms. He had signed up 6000 victims, who had bought around 9000 cars. To date, only two of those cars had made it to their owners, and even then they had to pay for them all themselves.
The problems stemmed from a simple issue.
The diddy salesman had relied on a “friend” to deal with the manufacturer, and he & his “bent” accountant had been pocketing $15m of the money he’d raised to buy the cars. This caused the entire scheme to stop dead, as the salesman sued this accountant. All the while, no cars.
Suddenly, the forum erupts as you discover that the SFO (serious fraud office) has been called to investigate this individual and his operation. To add insult to injury, the “investment” is then valued at £1 by the FCA. Holy smokes Batman, what is this? Have I been scammed?
So you call the office of this guy (he seemed reputable because he had an office, and employees). Another Essex man picks up the phone… “Ello?”. “Yeah, what’s going on with these cars? I paid for mine, the deadline has come-and-gone, and now you’re being investigated for fraud?”
“Yeah don’t worry about it, it’s a small group of people trying to bring the scheme down”…. “because the SIPPs have to abide by the FCA rules, they’ve stopped the cash flow to our company now, which basically means we’ve had to stop everything in order to bring these criminals to justice”.
“Oh, okay. How long will it be?”
“We’re procuring finance now. The hiccup will be resolved soon. I can confirm we’re in talks with some very interested parties”.
But it isn’t resolved.
After probing by the lawyers who run the forum, turns out the little Essex salesman took in £440m which was meant to buy the cars. Only £200m was ever available for this (as his minions took £250m in up-front commissions), and worse still, he has no finance (which means people are now going to have to pay all the money for their car).
This meant that not only do you not have a car, but the company who is selling them has no means to buy them either (meaning you have to foot the bill yourself if you want to carry through with it).
…
Now you can see why the victims are cursing Harlequin.
Ames had absolutely no means to fund the resorts. Even if he gets money to continue building H Hotel, it’s just pissing in the wind.
He needs ca £150m to finish all the resorts, get them running, and provide people with returns. Completions are just a way for Harlequin to get money, it does not provide cash flow. For all we know, Buccament Bay could not be making anything.
And although the SIPPs are to blame (for going along with the merry scheme), the agents are equally responsible.
The underlying fact is that this is a scam. Everyone who put money in are victims.
H Hotel victims do nothing.
You are not at fault in this scheme, it is David Ames & his Harlequin henchmen.
H Hotel investors need to do absolutely nothing. Harlequin is trying to extort money to give its scheme legitimacy, but in reality it has failed miserably. David Ames is a liar, cheat & con artist.
H Hotel investors do not have any deadlines apart from the ones on your contract (which Ames has broken). You need to stay strong, don’t let Harlequin bully you.
It would appear anonymous 7.44 that you are only interested in what you want to hear. You don’t think that a delayed launch date, promises made to travel agents which could not be met, construction works not completed and having to be redone, contractors not being paid, plant and machinery not ordered had any effect? Nah of course not. It’s just an old chestnut.
@H Hotel victims stay strong. You are, Paddy, starting to sound desperate now.
“Delayed launch date”…..
Does that include the victims having to pay for it themselves?
@ Anonymous 8.05pm
The litany of failure in your list are all things that a competent developer would take in their stride by good risk management and mitigation strategies. That these things were not properly handled just goes to show that this operation was run by rank amateurs who had no business taking money off people.
Yes your right. Having rank armatures like Paddy, Newman, and MacDonald anywhere near a construction project was a disaster.
@anonymous 8:21pm
Hear Hear.
My thoughts exactly.
@deleted 8:08pm
Yes you’re right. I am desperate. Desperate to get my money back.
I’m fortunate because I’m a SIPP victim, so maybe I’ll get something back out of this sorry mess.
The reality is that Ames started this scam without a financial underwriter. Regardless of any veiled threats, bully-boy tactics & hyperbole, you cannot deny the fact that your paymaster tricked people into signing up to a scheme which has never properly implemented.
Without a financial backer, Harlequin is never going to build any resorts (if BB is only breaking even, what hope does it have of raising £30m+ for a new hotel build). You can get completion money all you want, it won’t give you the capital required to kickstart this dead horse back to life.
In case you don’t understand what sort of a mess you’re in, let’s look at what “finance” you could actually hope to bring into the company…
Harlequin has 2 properties which are apparently generating revenue (maybe even some profits). BB and Blu have been running for several years, and by Ames’ own admission, BB has only just started to break even. He has had 2 completions, and 100 people hand over cash to “complete”.
Now to build H Hotel (which has apparently been “delayed”), he needs fresh capital. This capital would normally come in the form of a mortgage, or other debt secured on the land of the Hotel. Since the Hotel apparently has planning permission, this would probably give banks a decent amount of security for probably a £5m loan (unless of course, there were 6000 victims waiting with stat demands).
Ames has been giving us the spiel that finance is “coming soon” for years. But it’s not arisen.
Why could this be?
Well let’s look at what “finance” could be.
Finance can come in two forms:
1) A bank
2) An individual
Because I don’t know how much H Hotel would cost to build (nor does Ames by the sounds of it), I’m guessing £30m (BB took £140m……… apparently) would be a good figure (for building. Liabilities discounted).
So if you want to raise £30m, what can you do? First of all, you could raise it with a bank through a mortgage of your current assets (Buccament Bay, Blu & land). The land would probably bring £5m (again, discounting the flurry of stat demands which would be issued), BB could be mortgaged for up to £45m ($200m in assets is a figment of someone’s imagination). So if you drew down £25m on that equity, you’ll get your £30m.
Ames has had all the chances to do this.
So why hasn’t he?
The line out of Basildon is that they were focused on the Irish case. Right. So you chose to “pause” building, break all your contracts, and cause an almighty uproar to proceed with a case? Smokescreen.
The reality is much different. In my opinion, Ames cannot raise any money because the banks have seen him for who he is a – a twice bankrupted conman who will be pursued by 1000’s of victims (admittedly some like him) who want their refunds.
Remember a mortgage has to be secured on an asset, with the intention of it being paid back with interest. Do you really think Ames, especially with his track record of non-payment, is going to deliver that? Ha give me a break. I wish I knew that before handing over my pension.
Ames has alluded to this before. I believe banks in the Dominican Republic & Canada were interested, until they found the web of lies that is Harlequin.
So all the updates which state that “financiers” are “becoming more interested” – it’s just a ruse. The reality is that Ames is hopelessly trying to raise mortgages on his “assets”, and from the looks of it, failing miserably.
The other option is an individual (or consortium of which) investing their own money. This has also been alluded to before, but apparently not materialised. Why not?
Well I’d imagine a different reason than the banks. Individuals will likely want equity rather than security (yes, there is a difference). The problem here is that with the way the Harlequin “group” (this makes me laugh every time) is set up, providing equity will be like trying to get blood from a stone.
The equity of the company is spread wafer thin, on barely-legal entities dotted throughout a far-away land. If you were an individual with money, would you really feel safe with this setup? Me neither.
This is why the famed “letter of intent” was also a ruse. If it was anything other than a fake, it would have materialized into something much more by now.
The mess Harlequin is in is therefore a precarious one. One which they can work their way out of, but they need extra capital. Without any build plans, schedules, budgets, forecasts, repayment of director’s loans, etc, they aren’t going anywhere fast.
H Hotel investors need not do anything.
Sit on your hands, you only jeopardise yourself if you do anything other than nothing. You must not do anything, especially with the “deadline” approaching.
Any H Hotel investor can stop this mess by doing nothing. You have paid your 30%, now you need to wait until Harlequin are financed in order to get your money back.
Well looks like “victims” have now become investors. It’s a start.
@ Anonymous on December 28, 2014 at 8:05 pm
It would appear anonymous 7.44 that you are only interested in what you want to hear.
Ok here is something to hear, from the time the Builder left BB, Ames took in excess of £ 250 million USD $ 390 Million, Ames claimed to have spent $ 48 million on construction at BB from the time the Builder left to mid 2013, that is a fact.
So that left Ames with in excess of $ 342 million. What did Ames do with this money?
After the builder left, Ames conducted a highly publicised ground breaking at Merricks, Seotember 2010. Launched 3 refurbish projects in 2011. Promised to close the Hotel Blu for a full refurbishment, this never happened, sold rooms in two old hotels in Barbados, failed to complete one and failed to purchase the 2nd.
Launched and sold rooms in a mega development in Jamaica, that fell through, did not even buy the land. Promised a hotel in Brazil, a refurbishment project in time for the World Cup, that never happened.
Failed to make any progress on The Hideaway, Two Rivers, Las Canas, and the Marquis Estate, constructed 3 show homes at Merricks that have now been vandalised and stripped.
All the above happened after the builder had left.
In addition the claim against the builder was for $ 13 Million, out of $ 700 million taken in cash by the Ames family. A total of 1.8 %.
However when this 1.8 % is taken in the context of HMSSE taking $ 350 million in sales costs and Commissions, those being some 50% of monies paid I think we can all see where the real problem lay.
Harlequin supporters do not like references made to %’s and it’s very apparent as to why.
Ames will milk the builder case for all its worth, but if Ames looses the appeal, or when Ames looses the appeal, he will call it a travesty of justice and continue to blame the builder, SIPP providers, Wilkins Kennedy, Newman, purchasers for obstructing completions by not having the finance etc etc etc …………….,,
When BDO found Carol Ames to be uncooperative and when BDO disclaimed the accounts of HMSSE now in Liquidation and now being probed by HMRC Carol accused BDO of not having a clue what they were doing and getting it all wrong.
When assets were discovered as belonging to the Ames family, Dave and Carol were shocked to discover that they had more assets then they had declared to a court, oddly this did not happen once but on numerous occasions.
Ames lied in a UK court case, lied in an Irish case and lied in a number of Caribbean cases.
Yet none of the present problems can be laid at the doorstep of Ames if Anonymous is to be believed, for a man who claims to have run a raft of succesful businesses for in excess of 30 years, I find it bizarre that he failed to control USD 700 million of other people’s money.
Why is it that all references to the Great Visionary Ames have been removed from the HHR website? Could it be that the claims on that website were all a load of b#%^*$?+*.
Funny I did not mention the builder as a separate entity. I mentioned Paddy, Newman and MacDonald.
And did not GF say he had seen a letter of intent regarding finance? Surely you are not implying that GF lied?
I am an investor with Harlequin with many years experience of watching this nightmare continue. Does an investor in H Barbados really believe that they will ever,EVER,receive their 10% at the whim of Harlequin Property. I have heard of only person who claimed, CLAIMED, To receive his return and he was in the scam.
THIS IS THE TRUTH.
No Pink Panther, that is not the TRUTH. You obviously have no idea of the truth.
@ Anonymous 9.29 pm, whether Gareth Fatchett is a liar or just duplicitous will probably come out in the wash at some stage. Witness summonses are a real pain.
However that is imatterial for now. The letter of intent may well have been a forgery produced by Ames, afterall it would not be the first time Ames produced forgeries to shore up his arguments.
The letter of intent could also have come from the Hotel Group who were allegedly clients of Gareth Fatchett and who expressed an interest in some of the assets of Ames at the same time that Gareth was also pursuing the “Trust” route for purchasers, some might call this a “Conflict of Interest”,
Could it have been a case that much of the due diligence gathered by Mr. Fatchett was for his clients with an interest in purchasing some of Ames’ assets, again this issue will be dealt with by way of a witness summons, thanks to Ames’ pursuit of justice and the truth through his “deformation / defamation” action.
And Anonymous do you not find it odd that the Villains (as you would see them as), Newman, The Builder & Wilkins Kennedy never had as much as a parking ticket or negative press before meeting Ames, and furthermore the only one pursuing any of them is the same individual being pursued by 100’s of clients, suppliers, contractors, Essex Police, The SFO, HMRC, CIB, the Serious Crime Squad, (oops am I allowed to say that?), that same individual being Dave Ames. And before you raise the old chestnut of the ICAEW, they are only acting on a complaint from Dave’s gorgeous wife Carol, she too is being investigated for serious criminal fraud.
Anonymous on December 28, 2014 at 10:04 pm
No Pink Panther, that is not the TRUTH. You obviously have no idea of the truth.
Anonymous are you an investor and have you obtained a return, if so perhaps you wish to elaborate, otherwise people might think you are Robert Storey from Nuneaton.
@Anonymous 10:04PM
So what is it then?
It’s easy to deny things, blame people, be vindictive… but none of that moves matters forward.
I’m yet to read one ounce of valuable input from any pro Harlequin poster. Typical Harlequin bullshit, just play fool until it goes belly up. No wonder you’re a failed business with absolutely no outlook for improvement, unless you get rid of your victims.
Let’s play your game shall we?
You’re a laughing stock of the business community. Your “resorts” are nothing more than maggot-infested shacks on a wild island with absolutely no hope of being “the best in the world” at anything other than a scam. Harlequin will be remembered for being the piñata for countless legal battles which will no doubt consume your aimless lives for the next few decades.
Harlequin has failed.
SFO investigation. Conned by a dodgy builder (with no contract haha), still playing silly blame games.
Vinnie Stenning has absolutely no clue about building hotels. He’s 23 and used to work at Argos. He’s now trying to explain positions on finance. Hmm I wonder why people are feeling let down? No Gordon Gekko is he?
He’s also taken to trying to lecture people about how SIPP funds work. Give us a break. You don’t know shit about pensions, mortgages, SIPPs or anything to do with the financial instruments which Harlequin raped. You’re in absolutely no position to talk to us about it.
David Ames is a twice bankrupt double glazing salesman. No wonder Harlequin’s gone down the drain. Him, his wife and fucking wash-ups of sons are all cheats. If they had real jobs they wouldn’t last 10 minutes. But they don’t have real jobs because they lie… sorry… “sell” for a living.
Matthew Ames stole £33k from victims through the money-laundering scheme known as HMSSE. Daniel Ames stole £59k. Carol Ames stole £108k. None of these people are willing to pay back this money. Why? It was victims’ money. That business had over £440m. They stole their directors’ loans.
Now H Hotel victims are being asked to pay up. Really?
Do us all a favour and get yourselves a real financial education. Let’s start with the basics… the difference between an investment and a scam:
DEFINITION OF ‘INVESTMENT’
An asset or item that is purchased with the hope that it will generate income or appreciate in the future.
scam (skăm) Informal
n.
A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.
Looks to me like an “investment” entails the “purchase” of an asset. Oh….. Well I guess the “assets” the victims have are their contracts right? Because there’s been fuck all else come through….
But no. Victims don’t have ownership of anything. The contracts, if the SIPP providers are to be believed, are worth £1.
So they aren’t “investors” you stupid fuck. They are victims. They are victims until they own an asset or they get their money back as per their contract. This is fact.
And before you reply with a wisecrack unsubstantive comment, think about your precarious situation. Harlequin is doing no-one any favours. When the going was good, you could at least pay off lawsuits. But now your moat is as dry as your cash pool.
The vultures are circling. And they are hungry. Very hungry.
@Anonymous 10:04PM
So what is it then?
It’s easy to deny things, blame people, be vindictive… but none of that moves matters forward.
I’m yet to read one ounce of valuable input from any pro Harlequin poster. Typical Harlequin bullshit, just play fool until it goes belly up. No wonder you’re a failed business with absolutely no outlook for improvement, unless you get rid of your victims.
Let’s play your game shall we?
You’re a laughing stock of the business community. Your “resorts” are nothing more than maggot-infested shacks on a wild island with absolutely no hope of being “the best in the world” at anything other than a scam. Harlequin will be remembered for being the piñata for countless legal battles which will no doubt consume your aimless lives for the next few decades.
Harlequin has failed.
SFO investigation. Conned by a dodgy builder (with no contract haha), still playing silly blame games.
Vinnie Stenning has absolutely no clue about building hotels. He’s 23 and used to work at Argos. He’s now trying to explain positions on finance. Hmm I wonder why people are feeling let down? No Gordon Gekko is he?
He’s also taken to trying to lecture people about how SIPP funds work. Give us a break. You don’t know shit about pensions, mortgages, SIPPs or anything to do with the financial instruments which Harlequin raped. You’re in absolutely no position to talk about it.
David Ames is a twice bankrupt double glazing salesman. No wonder Harlequin’s gone down the drain. Him, his wife and fucking wash-ups of sons are all cheats. If they had real jobs they wouldn’t last 10 minutes. But they don’t have real jobs because they lie… sorry… “sell” for a living.
Matthew Ames stole £33k from victims through the money-laundering scheme known as HMSSE. Daniel Ames stole £59k. Carol Ames stole £108k. None of these people are willing to pay back this money. Why? It was victims’ money. That business had over £440m. They stole their directors’ loans.
Now H Hotel victims are being asked to pay up. Really?
Do us all a favour and get yourselves a real financial education. Let’s start with the basics… the difference between an investment and a scam:
DEFINITION OF ‘INVESTMENT’
An asset or item that is purchased with the hope that it will generate income or appreciate in the future.
scam (skăm) Informal
n.
A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle.
Looks to me like an “investment” entails the “purchase” of an asset. Oh….. Well I guess the “assets” the victims have are their contracts right? Because there’s been fuck all else come through….
But no. Victims don’t have ownership of anything. The contracts, if the SIPP providers are to be believed, are worth £1.
So they aren’t “investors” you stupid fuck. They are victims. They are victims until they own an asset or they get their money back as per their contract. This is fact.
And before you reply with a wisecrack unsubstantive comment, think about your precarious situation. Harlequin is doing no-one any favours. When the going was good, you could at least pay off lawsuits. But now your moat is as dry as your cash pool.
The vultures are circling. And they are hungry. Very hungry.
A long time before the ICE Group, Irish Builders, Wilkins Kennedy, Mr. Newman et al, Ames wanted to sue a number of individuals, a Mr. Ken Picknell for one, a former project manager for Ridge View construction, had identified issues with the Harlequin business model, RidgeView had been employed on a cost + 10% contract. Plans and budgets were put in place by Mr. Picknell, unfortunately Ames needed progress but could not provide the funds to do so, eventually Ames accused RidgeView and Mr. Picknell of missappropriation, as a result of the persistence of Mr. Picknell in seeking adequate funding for the BB project, however a deal was struck at the 11th hour and RidgeView left the project voluntarily.
A deal subsuquent to this that Ames renaged on.
Soon after RidgeView left the project, Ames began a campaign of harassment and bullyboy tactics against Mr. Picknell, who had by this time left RidgeView and elected to stay on in St. Vincent, eventually Mr. Picknell could take no more and went to some local papers in St. Vincent with his expose on Ames, Ames wanted Mr. Picknell deported, lobbying the Prime Minister to do so, all though to be fair to the Prime a Minister he refused to acede to the request by Ames, however Mr. Sam Commissiong lawyer for Ames, did state that the Prime Minister prevented the newspapers from publishing the expose.
Mr. Commissiong also advised Ames against taking legal action against either RidgeView or Mr. Picknell, on the basis that issues surrounding the Ames business model would be exposed to not only the public but to the purchasers.
However Mr. Picknell continued to face intimidation on an almost constant basis and this was allowed continue even though many say the authorities were aware of this.
It was around this time that DLA Piper Ames UK London lawyers were having concerns with Ames’ business, and arranged a meeting between Ames, his in house solicitors, DLA Piper and Wilkins Kennedy. DLA Piper were concerned that Ames was operating in such a manner that the SFO could conduct a dawn raid at any moment, ( some claim corrective action was taken to sweep the problems under the carpet so to speak) Ames sometime after tried quashing the DLA Piper rumour by claiming that it was scare tactics on the part of DLA Piper who were seeking to increase the fees they were charging Ames, indeed later on Ames took DLA Piper to court for over charging.
There were also rumours that Ames had been bribing individuals, Ames vehemently denied this, but in a very odd email to the BBC sometime later, Ames denied the allegations of bribery, however caveating this by stating, that if any bribes had been paid, they would have been paid by employees of Wilkins Kennedy, and whilst this allegation has not ‘yet’ appeared in court papers submitted by Ames, it will be interesting to see, if this allegation surfaces at some point.
In essence Ames possibly trying to cover himself, oddly denying bribes were paid, whilst at the same time stating clearly that if bribes had been paid, it “presumably” was with out his knowledge, and would have been paid by employees of Wilkins Kennedy.
According to some former employees of RidgeView, Ames despite claiming he did not require finance was constantly seeking finance, on one very strange occasion, Ames was informed that a Middle Eastern individual, wished to invest Millions with him, the deal neccesitated Ames paying a five figure sum for the deal to go through, no one knows if the deal ever went through, however when one former RidgeView employee asked Ames what due diligence the Middle Eastern Financier might request, Ames who was then in his late fifties replied, “none, I’m in my Fifties, with a great brand, why would anyone want to do due diligence on me”.
Ames had been falling out with many individuals since he started his scheme,
Firstly sacking his former Caribbean business partners in an EGM he had Sam Commissiong arrange at short notice, Ames had got wind that his fellow directors were looking to oust him from the board and took immediate steps to have them removed instead.
@ Anonymous December 28, 8.29pm
Your comments show you don’t understand the role of the developer.
The developer has the responsibility for managing all the contracts and processes relating to the sub-contractors (there’s a clue in the name if you think about it sub-CONTRACT) and the delivery of the project on time and within budget.
A good developer will have processes and systems in place to manage the risk levels (yes there should have been a risk register which was reviewed on an almost daily basis at director level – did one exist?). In practice this means that both the probability of a risk materialising and the level of impact on the project if it did are reduced.
If a risk (or series of risks in this case) become realities and are not controlled then catastrophic things happen to the project (the extent of delay and overspend here can only be described as catastrophic failure). The developer must be able to show that these events occurred despite the most rigorous risk management if they are to retain any credibility. It is my opinion that there can’t have been competent risk management strategies in place but I’m happy to be corrected if Harelquin is willing to publish all their historic risk registers and minutes of risk management meetings. No doubt these will be asked for in the forthcoming litigation.
If you look at other big project developers who are involved with projects of this scale (eg Lend Lease, Bouygues, Carillion, Vinci) you will see that these kind of calamities just don’t happen very often and, if they do, the developer takes the loss and offsets it against other profits and moves on.
Harlequin seem to be playing a heads I win tails you lose game with the purchasers.
Lots of old chestnuts about at the moment. Are they roasting on an open fire I wonder.
If you are an investor and intend to continue with the purchase of your property, despite all the warnings then think about three more issues.
1/ You hand over your completion funds without the advice of an independent lawyer. You will loose it all.
2/ What about insurance and power supply. Are these guaranteed?
3/ The worst happens and Harlequin collapses,will you have security for your property and yourselves.
I wish all investors good luck.
Anon 2:52
Your timeline of events re: Ridgeview certainly lines up perfectly with
my memory of the early days of BB. After all that has unfolded sub-
sequently, Ridgeview was lucky to get as far away from Ames as
possible. Even though it was very costly for them.
One thing that makes it possible to see who is posting under ” Anon” type handles is the use of the spelling loose / lose. If you want to go unrecognized remember the following:
Loose – not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached.
“a loose tooth”
Lose – be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something).
“I’ve lost my appetite”
So Harlequin had loose or non-existent contract terms which caused investors to lose their money.
@Anon 7.48 it would appear you do not know the meaning of fraud. When a builder invoices you for equipment, and that invoice is paid but the equipment has not even been ordered then that is fraud. When the developer says “take me and show me the equipment I have paid for” and the builder is unable to do that, then that is ok then? Or perhaps this is just an “old chestnut?”
Nope. It’s not an old chestnut. It’s a other example of the developer not being in control of a project that purchasers had paid for him to diligently look after for them.
Sorry. Whichever way you cut it, the developer is the manager of the project and the buck stops with them if something goes wrong.
@ Anonymous 1.39 pm, yes it would be fraudulent had a developer given money to a builder to purchase certain items, and if the builder had not done so.
But you cannot be talking about Ames or ICE Group here, why? Well if you took the time to review all the court documents you will see that Ames undertook to purchase much of the plant and equipment, but failed to do so in a timely manner, in addition ICE Group put pressure on Ames to sign a FIDIC Yellow Book contract on numerous occasions but Ames refused to sign, always stalling on the matter.
It must be also noted the type of contract entered into, was it a cost + contract, both parties agree it wasn’t, was it a fixed price contract, ICE Group say it was, even the original Auditors for Ames in St. Vincent acknowledge it was, they being BDO, Ames denied it was, saying that it was a kind of ” I will pay you as you go along contract”.
For the record no invoices were ever issued to Ames for payment of plant and equipment to the ICE Group, and to state such is absolute rubbish,
The Irish case was not a contractual dispute, the judge avers to this in his judgement, and was unwilling to make a determination on the issue of the contract between the parties,
There is really little else to say at this stage on those matters as an appeal is forthcoming. Needless to say Ames had cause to lie in the Irish case, one has to wonder why, but lie he did, those lies or perjury came to light as a result of subsequent actions.
Harlequin have not provided what they promised.
They are a scam run by amateurs.
Do not, under any circumstances, hand over any more money to these thieves. Keep your hard earned money away from the Harlequin scammers.
H Hotel victims need not do anything.
You should not “relocate” your property. You have done nothing wrong – Ames is going to jail and is trying to buy his way out with your money.
Don’t let the scam continue.
@anonymous.
1)Harlequin property would appoint ICE as the main contractor to construct the BB project. (Not sub contractor)
2)at a meeting of the 25th Feb….Mr O’Halloran said he needed increased payments to pay for supplies and to fund work.
3)MrMaCdonald and Mr Newman failed to inform Mr Ames that Baird Engineering who were the specialist sub-contractors ( notice who was the sub contractor and the contractor) to construct the marina, had walked off site in January 2010 as the ICE Group had failed to pay them. Mr Newman, (and therefor WK) knew this before the meeting.
4)on May 28 2010 ………… Mr Ames had asked Mr MacDonald and Mr O’ Halloran whether the pumps had been ordered for the swimming pool, and they said they were and stored in Barbados. Mr Ames said he would like to see them…………..Mr Ames could not be shown them. The true reason was the pumps had not been ordered and were not being stored in Barbados and not available to be seen.
Now I could go on and on, so you see I have read all, and I mean all the court documents. What is obvious is that ICE undertook to purchase the plant and machinery for the resort, this does not mean construction plant which was taken over by ICE from Ridgeway, was paid, and in some cases did not even order that equipment.
So although the “3 amigos” never had so much as a parking ticket (how would you know that I wonder) befor, they sure as hell made up for it after regarding BB
I am sorry to mention Harlequin again.
However Harlequin is a massive scam and fraud.
I will repeat;
Harlequin is.a massive scam and fraud.
I ask the question that after 9 years there is only 2 completions, does that information inspire any investor to complete?
Harlequin will be the biggest UK FRAUD in history.
And what’s the TRUTH about returns Pink Panther. Do you still honk you know the TRUTH?
Bloody predictive text honk = think.
I could give a letter of intent….. means nowt.
Still guessing chaps?
No. Not interested in your silly games.
Anonymous 7:33 I’ve often wondered why I am blue. Are you
using an Apple?
I phone, but I believe you get the same effect with other phones.
I use a MacBook Pro. Never used my i-phone. It must be when I downloaded the new os-x yosemite. I just wanted anon 7:33 to
either tell me I’m right or wrong. Either way no big deal
It’s Bob in the toilet with his iPad
That’s how I know when its him…
Wrong haha lol
I am the real Bob.
No I am the real Bob, all other Bobs are impersonators!
I’m blue anonymous 10:22 and 9:57 and I’m so unhappy that I
started this nonsense. Ames and only Ames is the subject….
Yes your post of 10.22 was a bit childish when your post of 9.57 seemed to be a genuine question. Unfortunately you got sucked in by twatikins of 10.11.
Rip Of Britain = ROB
duh?
Another deal/promise that never happened….or did it?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/port_vale/7980817.stm
Oh yes the old ‘curse’ chestnut, this is from a guy who had to hire security because he felt threatened yet gets rid of the security once he wins his Irish Court Case, the awards Ames and his family need to get are Academy Awards, for acting, no one can take that away from them, liars and actors.
Phoned harlequin travel today.Nobody in the office.I am an investor and wanted to book my holiday.The investor offer ends today.After Christmas is the time many people book a holiday,so why is no-one available?
Can we have an audit on the new airports building costs?
You know it’ll take a regime change before anyone knows the truth about that, and that will never be allowed to happen.
I wonder if the GV and his family actually know this is the year they will all go to jail?
The year when his legal team will have to face the music.
The year Tailormade (in liquidation) will be under the microscope.
The Year the Irish builder will get his wishes.
The year the Irish builder gets his comeuppance.
Lets not forget HMSSE ( the one in Basildon) did not have a bank account. I wonder why anyone would have a virtually identical sounding company in the Caribbean with a sub account in Basildon.
Surly, this could not have been done to mislead?
Any finance Dave?
Anymore news about the FSCS supporting your Trust?
Or the management company?
AE com regarding the JV?
Halkham being regulated?
Sorry forgot, Harlequin are in great shape.
SRA complaint ……..Against your legal team.
H Hotel investors do not rescind your rights over the H Hotel “deadline”.
You are legally obliged to do nothing.
Do not give the Harlequin scammers any more chances. They stole their money and are now trying to do it again.
Starve Harlequin of money and they will die. When this scheme goes down, they’ll all be in jail.
Harlequin are Crooks. I am an investor on two resorts and I knew 3 years ago that my properties would never be built.
Yes, let Ames *uck it up and kill the only thing he loves.
Dear all, Firstly let us wish all investors a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
The last number of years have been very difficult for all investors but so to for the Ames family and their employees.
Dave Ames started this journey with one and only one goal, that was and is to give a fantastic opportunity to those who otherwise would not be in a position to invest in an overseas property.
Dave and his family have faced many obstacles in their journey to date, none of which was the making of the Ames family or their employees.
The downturn in the Global economy was the single biggest hurdle Dave had to overcome, coupled with the greed and systematic abuses by a number of contractors and third party firms.
Those contractors included, RidgeView Construction, ICE Group, TVS, Procure-It Direct, and to a lessor extent Krauss Manning.
We also saw first hand the over charging practices engaged by DLA Piper, and the Fraud perpetrated by Wilkins Kennedy.
The disclaimed accounts by BDO again was as a result of the fraudulent accounting carried out by the previous Auditors of HMSSE Wilkins Kennedy and it was sad to note that BDO whilst aware of the huge problems caused by Wilkins Kennedy were not in a position to note this in their disclaimed accounts.
However even with such challenges thrown up by all the above Dave, his family and employess have continued to work through the problems and finally there is light at the end of the tunnel.
In an enterprise as large as that created by Dave Ames you are going to find some who for their own gain will do all in their power to discredit the marvellous work Dave and his team continue to do.
Their has been some resentment by hoteliers in the Caribbean towards the arrival of Harlequin and with some justification, Dave Ames has brought a quality and unsurpassed level of customer service to the Caribbean, he has done this by investing in employees, something that many other hoteliers in the region have failed to do.
The owner of the Crane hotel in Barbados has had a very chequered history yet strangely enough his past is never ressurected by those who oppose Harlequin.
Sandy Lane has had its fair share of employee dissatisfaction, as has been reported locally, with even a high level strike. Again those against Harlequin fail to point this out.
The Four Seasons in Barbados was another unmitigated disaster which ground to a halt, yet no one saw fit to report those behind that disaster to the Serious Fraud Office.
Some have stated that Dave is the butt of jokes amongst his peers in the hospitality sector, but nothing could be further from the truth, Dave and his team have gained huge respect from their peers and have garnered a special relationship with BA and Virgin to name but a few.
Over the festive season we were told that Richard Branson has commented that Dave Ames is an entrepreneur who dispite the challenges has proved that he is in this for the long haul.
Dave does not look upon purchasers as some type of anonymous entity, he considers them investors in the Harlequin business, and that is what we are.
Dave gave us this marvellous opportunity, he now is asking us to assist him and his family in turning around ‘Our’ company, yes it’s ours.
We have an obligation to see this through, we have an obligation to support Dave and his family and the very hard working employees.
James Baker along with his team and along with Dave and his team have been working flat out now for over a year to find the best formula for success for all involved.
When Dave asked investors to help pay for the build of arguably not only the best hotels in the Caribbean but in the world he was doing so, to allow investors benefit from a much speedier completion of the hotels.
Yet this request has been turned into something quite negative. Investors however are just that, investment is needed, but under the guidance and excellent management provided by the Ames family, this investment is in safe hands.
One look at Trip Advisor clearly demonstrates the esteem which the award winning Buccament Bay is held, no other hotel in the Caribbean has amassed such rave reviews in such a short time, proving that Dave and his team have surpassed all expectations and promises made.
There has been a lot of talk about the SFO investigation into Harlequin, firstly we would like to point out that the Ames family are not identified by the SFO website as being party to the investigation, it must also be noted that at no time have the SFO or Essex Police seen fit to arrest or charge anyone in connection with the investigation.
It is quite common place for large blue chip companies to come under the spotlight of the SFO, just look at BAE Systems, Barclays and Tesco, the SFO unfortunately are obliged to act on even the most frivolous allegations, that does not necessarily indicate wrong doing on the part of the companies being investigated nor on the management of those firms.
The area which has complicated the SFO investigation into Harlequin is the role some agents and SIPP providers played. Dave has been at pains to point out that some agents and SIPP providers flouted every internal safeguard and procedure put in place by Harlequins excellent and highly professional staff.
Dave believes that Ethics in business are what makes the business and has no time for those who wish to engage in any type of fraudulent sales, Dave has demonstrated this in his support for investors who are seeking to support agents and SIPP providers who failed to highlight the potential delays which a firm the size of Harlequin enevitably encounters. Dave also demonstrated his zero tolerance approach to those who seek to over embellish the sales pitch, Dave fired Terry Potter after he gave an interview to a local paper which was full of inconsistencies, Dave also terminated the services of Katherine Woller / Manderfield and of Simon Terry in house solicitor.
Dave is at pains to point out that if he was a Conman he would have abandoned the UK a long time ago.
Some forget that Dave invested his personal fortune in establishing Harlequin, a fortune that ran into 10s of millions, yet some now decry the Ames family recouping a tiny fraction of this by way of loans from HMSSE.
Dave and his wife and family have always acted in an honorable fashion, when Matt Ames was being sentenced for the allegations of fraud made against him, Dave asked the court to consider allowing Matt Ames work for him instead of being a burden to the tax payer, Dave along with Matt also undertook to ensure that 10k a month was made available to investors in Matts business, so that they would not have suffered any losses.
The CPS oddly enough opposed this very generous offer by Dave, and now investors in Matts business are facing financial losses not because of any fault on the part of the Ames family but on the part of the FCA for originally shutting down Matt Ames business and then the refusal of the CPS to allow Matt Ames pay back all the money.
We are very quick to label any new, innovative, investment scheme as being dodgy, especially when we do not understand how the scheme works.
Dave has stood on many toes in his journey to have ordinary folk benefit from investments, he has bucked the trend in developing new fantastic products, and this has caused him to make enemies from those who would prefer to see the status quo remain, there are many who fear Dave’s revolutionary new investment strategies, this has created jealousy amongst some, and a resolve to destroy Dave and his family by any means possible, it is a sad reflection on those who fear that opening up investment to the masses will as a result affect their bottom line.
Dave and his family and colleagues need the support of investors at this time to help them realise the dream for all.
Many are now seeing the negativity for what it is, a bunch of jealous and in some cases criminals who’s only vested interest is destroying all our investments.
We also call on all investors to lobby the SFO to have them remove the scurrilous innuendo from their Website that Harlequin have engaged in any type of wrong doing and we look forward to a New Year where the excellent progress of the last year within Harlequin can be emulated under the dynamic, and dedicated leadership of Dave and his excellent professional team.
Again a very Happy New Year to all investors. This will be our year.
Harlequin Supporter Group.
What a droll burlesque. Kudos to whomever posted the above.
The meaning of irony has taken on a new depth…
Lets wait for the usual manuscripts by the anti HP trolls to be posted. The usual boring rhetoric. Its about time this thread was consigned to the scrap heap. Its getting so long with mundane crap that it takes ages to post a response to anything. How about a new thread entitled “did DA build BB on the site where the ark landed” or “DA is responsible for the number of immigrants coming to the UK”.
@HSG..someone has been sipping the bubbly before midnight!
The story you presented competes with Peter Pan or Cinderella.
Isn’t Dave Ames an immigrant, is he not a citizen of St. Vincent. So technically he is part of the problem, send him back, as he said in court he has no real nexus with the UK, he got our money so send him back. Bloody immigrant. The UK willingly welcomes decent folk not the dregs of St. Vincent society. So deport the bastard.
They at least had happy endings…
There was an interesting comment made by Anonymous Dec 29 2.14. And I quote:”For the record no invoices were ever issued to Ames for payment of plant and equipment to the ICE Group, and to state such is absolute rubbish,”
If we assume this to be true then the two extracts from the HP WK submission could back this up.
31/10/2008 from an invoice from WK to HP. “detailed review of building budgets”
And the WK AKA MacDonald letter of disengagement dated 2/6/2010 stated “At this time we have not been involved with,
1)Reviewing the detailed building costs for any site except that of BB with respect analysing the overall project responsibilities”
Of course if DA did not see the invoices, based on the above someone did. How else would WK carry out detailed reviews of building budgets, or review detailed building costs?
Looks like Anon of Dec 29 has pointed the finger in one direction there.
Given that it was argued by ICE Group and accepted by BDO that ICE had a fixed price contract then it would stand to reason that no invoices were generated by ICE for payment by Ames for plant and equipment, as was stated in the original post.
Rather odd that the poster cherry picks from the original post. The original poster claims that Ames was responsible for procuring plant and equipment items. Not ICE Group, and the original poster claims that Ames failed to procure the same mentioned plant and equipment, and this appears correct according to the court documents submitted in the Irish Case.
But what’s most interesting is that Ames who obtained any where from £ 440 million to close to £ 500 million was not able to build any more then £32 million in property from the time Wilkins Kennedy and ICE left. Ames took in between £ 250 and £ 300 million after Wilkins Kennedy and ICE left yet managed to spend only about 10-12% of this on construction, so please can someone tell me where the 88-90% went to?
Can anyone tell me this. How did Ames manage to spend between £ 218 million and £ 268 million and in what?
All of this information is freely available from a number of cases, why do the pro Harlequin mob not want to use the evidence Ames produced in the Irish case, or the Davies case, afterall Ames produced it.
I admit I missed this, thank you ‘ who did see the invoices’.
See this is most interesting because Dave gave direct evidence in Ireland in which he categorically stated that ICE Group were only engaged in maintenance issues at the date of the 31/10/2008 invoice. Dave said that he had not entered into any contract negotiations with ICE at this time and was paying them for maintenance work and some rehabilitation work a price for which seems to have been agreed.
Of course ICE group said they were contracted to Ames by the 31/10/2008 a fact which Ames strenuously denied, the invoice of the 31/10/2008 appears on the face of it to give credence to what ICE groups version of events was.
Surely Dave was not lying? “who did see the invoices” thanks a million once again for pointing this out, we all missed this, your a star, cheers, it’s going to be a good new year. 🙂
Wow, Dave Ames stated that NO detailed budgets were generated before 2009 because Ames claimed in court that he was not aware of what was going to be built because the architects had not developed the plans.
Wow so what the hell were Wilkins Kennedy invoicing for detailed review of building costs in October 2008, I sure hope Dave did not pay this invoice.
Are you sure you got the right date of the invoice, does anyone have contact details for Kennedys, this could be pure dynamite,
I feel it only right and proper to bring this to the attention of KENNEDYS.
Dave would never have lied, surely not. Kennedys need to know that their client was generating fraudulent invoices.
Wow wow wow, I say it again Wow. I doubt Ames paid it, no way, to do so would admit that budgets were generated and no way would Ames lie in court. No way, sorry not Dave.
It’s a conspiracy.
@ who did see the invoices? on December 31, 2014 at 6:41 pm,
It’s ironic that your post of 6.41pm will probably do more then any other post to damage Ames. I doubt that your amateur detective work was intended in that way.
But thousands will hopefully have you to thank for this.
It is the tiniest little thing that can bring dodgy schemes crashing down. I doubt Mr. Ames will be overly impressed.
Happy New Year, keep up the good work, best post in a very long time. Absolute cracker.
Why did Dave Ames lie in the Irish case.? If he lied it will cause huge problems for all of us. Surely the Wilkins Kennedy lawyers will have seen the Irish Case or is the Irish case covered by a NDA so it can’t be used?. I pray this is the case. Dave told me that he did not start any proper work at Buccament Bay until mid 2009. So the invoice has to be a way for Wilkins Kennedy to steal our money. Is that why Dave is suing Wilkins Kennedy. ? Dave would never pay the invoice because the work never happened, no way would he have paid it. There must be a mistake with the invoice, are we sure the date is right.?Why has the poster highlighted this, why is he trying to cause trouble for us all. ? Why can’t he just leave it alone. ? All his post is doing is throwing petrol on the fire. I would ask that he stops. Please. Some bloody New Years this is turning out to be. I think we should stop talking about Court Cases this is feeding the other side.
@a little confused.. How could. BB have opened for business in Mid 2010, if Dave said he only started ” proper work” in mid 2009?
You think it only took a year to build BB?
Totally amazing that there are still a few “true-believers” out there…
Exactly, yet it was Ames who told the Irish court that work proper started in 2009, it was ICE Group who said they started in 2008, Ames denied this, so I suggest you take up this mystery with Ames, afterall he is the one making the weird claims.
Youtube May 2009 Ames gives a tour of the site. All the villas and
the shell of the two condo buildings are completed…
The video did not stop Ames from stating that no contract could have started till he knew what he was building and that he said was mid 2009.
There is also a video of Ames telling us about the progress of a marina just over his shoulder and just out of camera shot.
Ames does say a lot,
Someone highlighted something that may have been missed by the various legal teams, and it was highlighted on here.
So my guess is all the legal teams will soon have the info if they don’t already have it and some of the posters were just thanking the poster for highlighting it.
No need to get all up tight about it, it’s New Years Day chill brother. No need to worry about seeing any transcripts etc, these are with the people who matter.
A poster highlights an invoice on here that if real would suggest that Dave Ames lied in the Irish court and you sir call the posts refering to the lie as factious,
Is it ok to allow Dave Ames lie with impunity? Your defence of Mr. Ames is most probably greatly appreciated by him and his family but we are being asked to part with even more cash, yes we would like to know the truth, a poster raised the issue of the invoice and a number of other posters stated that the timing and date of the invoice was at odds with statements made in a court of law. And you sir call this factious,
You sir will want us to believe that all statements even when true but if they don’t conform to the Harlequin Propaganda Machine, must therefore be factious and inaccurate.
The pro Harlequin lobby on here are beggining to show their true colours, running out of excuses and third parties to blame.
I will give you this much, it is so difficult to maintain a lie, even more so when the lies are used in litigation.
Factious – inclined to faction or the formation of factions; seditious
Fictitious – not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated.
If I remember rightly only 2 people had copies of the Irish court, DA and Paddys solicitor. Any reference to the transcripts can only come from one person then.
@Spelling Police
Thanks brother – I was confused at the incorrect use of that word too.
There’s always a revelation which proves unfounded & unsubstantiated, this “invoice” being the latest in a litany of such “discoveries”.
I’ve learnt that although it sounds good, it really won’t do anything to get people’s money back. Ames has spent it, and I imagine he’s lined his own pockets in the process (who’s seen an itemised bill for Buccament Bay? His son paid £300k to “consultants” after all).
The most affective information I’ve read on here is from someone who posted “the only way to bring Harlequin down is through finances”. The sooner Harlequin are starved of money, the sooner the ship sinks & victims can resurrect the failed edifice with a leaner business plan.
The current scheme failed when Ames did not have any financial backer for the “mortgages” which were so fervently promised. Every other lie has been an attempt to cover up this fundamental inadequacy.
As they say, “you can put lipstick on a pig… it’s still a pig”.
Happy 2015 all.
Here’s to Ames going to jail & the victims resuming their lives.
Affective – relating to moods, feelings, and attitudes. “affective disorders”
Effective – successful in producing a desired or intended result.
“effective solutions to environmental problems”
A note of caution for 2015, re: Air Harlequin. Barbados is one of nine
countries that fail the US Federal Aviation Administration safety
assessment. (The others are Indonesia, Curacao, Bangladesh,
Ghana, India, Nicaragua, St Martin and Uruguay). I wonder what
this says about the long haul trans-Atlantic flights…
Since Barbados does not have a national Airline, the FAA assessment has no effect on the many US and. British Airlines that fly in and out of Barbados every day. The assessment simply does not allow a Barbados Airline to fly into the US . A non issue and nothing new here. Their assessment was since 2011. Air Harlequin is not a Barbados registered airline .
@ Anonymous on January 1, 2015 at 10:30 am you stated ‘ incorrectly’ I might add the following,
“If I remember rightly only 2 people had copies of the Irish court, DA and Paddys solicitor. Any reference to the transcripts can only come from one person then.”
Your post would suggest that Dave Ames is posting on here, given that most solicitors unlike some who work for Ames do uphold the ethics of their profession. You did clearly stated that only 2 people had copies of the transcripts DA and ‘Paddys’ solicitor.
But for the avoidance of doubt the following also had copies of the transcripts which makes your post both fictitious and misleading.
Ames solicitors in house and external would have copies of the transcripts, immediately that makes this more than 2 people, in addition the SFO obtained copies of the transcripts, afterall if memory serves me correctly I was told that they were in attendance at the court, The appellant courts would have copies of the transcripts as would a number of UK solicitors who obtained the transcripts, including if memory serves me correctly Gareth Fatchet who told me that Ames through Simon Terry provided him with a copy, furthermore a number of individuals associated with Gareth Fatchett obtained copies of the transcripts and they ended up in the hands of solicitors acting for clients litigating against Ames, for example and if memory serves me correctly, references to the transcripts were used in the complaint made against Sam Commissiong in the Davies case.
I’ve been informed by those close to Ames that the transcripts were also provided to Ames new legal team in Eire, after Ames ‘citation needed’ failed to pay his Eire legal team. I was informed that Mr. Newman was a witness in the Eire case so he too probably has copies of the transcripts, and he may have provided copies to the ICAEW.
If memory serves me correctly Kennedys lawyers for Wilkins Kennedy obtained copies of the transcripts, not sure who told me this, I think it was Gareth Fatchett.
Jim Baker in a recorded phone call ‘ citation needed’ that I was told about claims to have been given a copy of the transcripts.
So the transcripts appear to have been circulated widely, and much of these appear to have been circulated by none other then Dave Ames. Indeed sections of the transcripts appeared here on BFP causing a storm amongst the HP supporters mob.
The word factious was being used in the correct context in previous posts, as is described below.
factious – dissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion)
dissentious, divisive
discordant – not in agreement or harmony; “views discordant with present-day ideas”
On the issue of the invoice, the discovery of the invoice does nothing to help the cause of investors, indeed it does more to damage their cause given that it will assist Kennedys in proving that Ames has not hesitation in lying to a court.
It’s a New Year. And another deadline has passed. Will DA update us on whether investors signed up for the H Hotel Barbados proposal. Would DA not take the opportunity of a New Year to update us on facts and not on what ifs.
I read on one of the island blogs, Barbados Underground, I thought
but I can’t find it on there now, that HD had until 31Dec 14 to settle
with Preconco/Mark Maloney. If not that Maloney vowed to pursue
Ames in a Bajan court for title to the H Hotel. Is anybody aware of
this?
It might be worth Ames and his merry band of supporters considering to remain silent throughout 2015.
To do so would reduce if not eliminate the anti Harlequin responses no matter how articulate and factual they may be, given that the Anti Harlequin posts in the main are merely responses to the incessant nauseating, repulsive litany of lies emanating from Harlequin and their supporters in their never ending quest to justify “at best” the gross incompetence and abject failure by the Ames family and staff of Harlequin to operate their businesses in a proper manner.
The constant need to allay the blame for the failures of the Ames family and management at Harlequin at the door step of others demonstrates that the Ames family and management of Harlequin are in serious trouble.
The resorts will most probably never get built, not in the lifetime of many of the purchasers.
To state on Christmas Eve that the fantastic news amounted to a possible completion of a further 76 rooms out of 9000 sold by 2016 was frankly pathetic.
Let us see if those in the Pro Harlequin camp can restrain themselves from dropping Ames and themselves in it on an almost constant basis.
For the record the facts are that Ames took in close to £500 million pounds in deposits, and not the £440 million as previously stated. c USD $ 800 million, Bajan Dollars $1.6 Billion or in EC Dollars $2.1 Billion.
Some c 230 units out of 9,114 units sold are completed.
The bulk of this c £330 Million, more than half a billion USD was taken in deposits after those Ames blames for the problems had left. In the period from June 2010 to June 2013 Ames claims to have spent c USD 50 million on construction. 10% of the c 500 million USD cash taken in deposits by the Ames family in the period since those Ames blames for the failure of Harlequin left.
The Ames family took in excess of 1.9 % of deposits in dividends, loans for personal property purchases, and shareholder loans, loans which they are no refusing to repay.
50 % of deposits taken were used to pay bonuses / commissions to Harlequin Staff and agents.
Anywhere between 2-5 % + was spent on Hotel Operations, but this figure will never be independently verified as Ames still refuses to produce Audited accounts as he is obliged by law to do.
Because Ames flouts and breaks the law by his reluctance to provide independent audited accounts the % of deposits used to fund the purchaser interest payments could be in excess of 22%.
Cash and SIPP purchaser funds were comingled so these funds were used in part to pay interest payments of mortgage purchasers.
Harlequin is an accounting Nightmare.
Having spent 1.2 % of deposits to date on legal fees to recoup a staggering 0.28% only made economic sense to Ames. Of course he claims the bulk of the expenditure was in pursuit of the “main culprits” as he sees them the culprits being Wilkins Kennedy, his absolute belief that he will win his claim against Wilkins Kennedy is not mirrored by many who are familiar with the case.
There is something very wrong with Harlequin, of this there is absolutely no doubt. And possibly something wrong with Dave Ames mental state.
2015 will be a very telling year.
Latest TA Very few guests meant easy access to everything on BB is quite revealing..the person stayed Xmas Week, which is the best week for all hotels in the Caribbean..and this was their comment.. “Very few guests meant easy access to everything ”
Very few guests? DA said the place was booked solid….then again…..
@ 2015 a new beginning
Bravo sir – truly amazing post.
Ames and friends will hopefully have to answer for their ill-gotten gains this year. So many people need closure on it.
Yes of course the anti HP brigade would like free reign on this site. It just is not going to happen. Lies, personal attacks, not supporting rhetoric with fact. No chance buddy.
Can you back up anything that Ames or Harlequin say with anything resembling fact, I doubt it, but feel free to try.
All you guys do is demonstrate what a consummate liar Ames is.
Just out of onterest what has happened to Paddys appeal in Ireland? This seems to be taking some time to come back to court.
Appeals in Eire take 4-6 years about the same time as SFO investigations. As for the last comment it did not take long for the Harlequin supporters to revert to form.
Good on BFP for removing the disgusting but absolutely irrelevant post earlier . Time to remain focused.
H Hotel investors do nothing.
The email & “deadline” was as scam.
Do not part with any more money. Harlequin is going down
Any news on the concrete mixer in Barbados and his claim against HP?
The concrete mixer is the largest pre cast manufacturing company in the Caribbean with assets and cash reserves that would make Ames very jealous indeed. The concrete mixer as referred to by the poster is part of a group of companies who have the cash and local support to mount a successful claim against Ames and his companies. Mark Maloney the head of PreConco or the concrete mixer as cynically refered to by the Pro Harlequin poster pulled a large number of strings to allow Ames to obtain the permissions required to build the H Hotel, Maloney was another sucked in by the bullshit from the GV.
This has caused Maloney some what of an embarrassment, and it’s now pay back time.
Ames it must be noted is not God, even though some on here would like us to believe that he is.
Not a good idea to mess with any of the “Broad Street Boys”
Professional Advisor 1/1/2013
Arnhim Eustice has called in the SFO.
@Anon 3.33.
Just to put you straight on a couple of points.
1)I called him the “concrete mixer because I could not be arsed to look back through the posts to find his name or company name. I obviously worked as you knew who I was referring to.
2)what gives you the right to refer to me as “the pro Harlequin poster” How you can detirmine what I am pro or anti by my post is a mystery. Who are you? Mystic Meg.
3)DA did not kneed permission to build H hotel, it already existed under another name.
4)so, oh wise one, what is the state of the action which was to brought against DA on the 1st Jan?
Simple question, crap response by you.
Well as the SFO has no jurisdiction outside of the UK then that’s a waste of time then.
Any info out there on the mentioned new BBC expose’ ?
A little lost, the H Hotel is not a refurb in any real sense, it is a new construction project, regardless whether it’s a refurb or new build under the planning laws in Barbados it will need planning permission, either as an existing project or a new project, please refer to the Barbados Town & Country a planning website.
You appear to want to make comments on matters pertaining to Harlequin yet as you state you could not be “arsed” to read or look back on previous posts.
Apparently documents have been filed with the court registrars office in Barbados and I’m sure if and when the documents become public they will be reported on here and in the main stream Barbados Press, it must be noted that today is the first working day after the holidays and its only 12.17 here in Barbados.
To the poster who wishes to understand the remit of the SFO, there are a number of international conventions which the UK have joined up to which allows the SFO pursue UK nationals in other countries. To state that the SFO have no jurisdiction outside of the UK is utter hog wash.
I read on one of the blogs (and I’ve searched and searched and
can’t find it) that Mark Maloney received some sort of judgement
that HD’s outstanding debt to PreConco had to be satisfied by
midnight 31 Dec 14 or leans would go in effect. I don’t think it
was a BFP blog but one of the others.
I suggest you google “does the SFO have jurisdiction outside the UK” . Hog wash? No. Pigs might fly is more like it.
What types of fraud and corruption should be reported to the SFO?
We are a government department and part of the UK criminal justice system. We aim to protect society by investigating and prosecuting people who commit serious, complex fraud and corruption. Our aims and objectives contribute to:
protecting the public by reducing the incidence and the cost of fraud and corruption
delivering justice and the rule of law
maintaining confidence in the UK’s business and financial institutions
Fraudsters do not recognise international boundaries. While the SFO has jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not over Scotland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands), it also works closely with other law enforcement agencies and regulators, both in the UK and abroad to investigate and prosecute people who commit serious and complex fraud and corruption.
Our International Assistance team in particular works closely on cases where the criminal conduct is principally taking place in another jurisdiction. The SFO helps other countries and law enforcement agencies (for example, the Department of Justice in the United States) in cases like this.
I think the following taken from the SFO website puts pay to the notion that the SFO will not pursue suspects who may not reside within their Jurisdiction.
Why are you attempting to state that the SFO will not pursue Ames ?
“The SFO also works closely with other law enforcement agencies and regulators, both in the UK and abroad to investigate and prosecute people who commit serious and corruption. “
The preconco case was discussed on NICE FM in St. Vincent I believe.
How long before Gonsalves turns on Ames. With elections by the
end of the year the sooner he rids himself of that albatross the better
(for him). However it already may be too late.
Exactly, the SFO has NO JURISDICTION outside of the UK. It does not even have jurisdiction in Scotland. This is contrary to what Anonymous 5.17 stated. No one said they would not pursue anyone, so stop making up lies. The SFO were not even able to get hold of Nadir from Polly Peck so they do not have a great record of getting hold of people outside of the UK. To say on their web site what they do and what they achieve is miles apart.
You also seem to forget that the recent court case brought by RL on behalf of 33 clients was thrown out of the UK courts as the UK courts had no jurisdiction in the case. The SFO case against HP will collapse. The UK court cannot say one thing and the SFO another.
Yes and lets not forget that Ames won a case in St. Vincent against Mulberry Law on issues of Jurisdiction………
But hangon anonymous, have you conveyed the jurisdiction issue to the SFO, might it be prudent for the SFO to stop their case against Ames because as you state the case will come to nothing. I wonder if Wilkins Kennedy will claim that the UK is not the proper jurisdiction for that case, I mean Ames never operated from the UK, so you and he apoear to claim, so why take a case against Wilkins Kennedy in the UK, if all the wrongdoing happened outside of the jurisdiction.
Ok gotcha now, the bank robber robs a UK bank in Essex then spends the money in St. Vincent so he can’t be brought to court in the UK, yea Anonymous, where do you think the bulk of the money came from? The UK perhaps? Where did the bulk of the money get routed through ? UK banks perhaps ? Ames lied in the RL case, and RL could have with a little effort in their part proven that Ames operated from the UK but GF recieved a bloody nose from Ames and was unwilling to progress any matters against Ames, the SFO have no fear of Ames, and if you believe that Ames will walk on a jurisdictional issue well dream on.
If Dave Ames has done nothing wrong then the SFO should not pose him any problems irrespective of Jurisdiction, to state that Ames will win a case brought by the SFO on a technicality ( jurisdiction) will do nothing to improve the situation, giving the two fingers to the authorities in this manner may not be a very wise move.
And yes Ames won a case in the UK against RL on jurisdiction grounds, but let’s not forget that the UK judge acknowleged that there was indeed a valid claim by purchasrrs but the UK was not the place to bring it.
You appear to miss this point, the point about valid claims, the idea of defaulted contracts seems to have gone completely over your head, Ames owes purchasers a fortune, and is only prolonging the inevitable by refusing to honor his contracts.
@Anon “ok gotcha now”? What drugs are you on. WK are a UK company, their employees who worked with Paddy were employed in the UK. If anything you have just destroyed your own argument. RL should have brought the case in SVG because that is where HP is managed from. DA brings his case in the UK because that is where WK is managed from. Can you follow that. OK GOTCHA NOW! Ames lied in the UK case? Oh come on more accusations, no proof. Funny how these lies are never brought up by any legal representatives during the case. Clutching at straws now.
@Anonymous 1 do you actually read what is posted on here. The whole point of this follows from a post at 4.43 saying that Eustace has called in the SFO. No one has suggested that Ames would win a case on a technicality. How can a point be missed if it had nothing to do with the original comment.
So HP is based in SVG ok. Sorry thought Dave said somewhere the HP was a British Company, must have been mistaken, I apologise.
Thought the builder was based in SVG and Barbados, did not realise he was based in the UK, I got it ass about face. So sorry.
By the way who is the Dave Ames in this video who says his business is British, based in the UK, and that’s why purchasers should feel confident.
This Dave Ames looks like one dodgy bastard. Must be confusing having two Dave Ames.
This Dave Ames claims that HP is British and that purchasers can feel secure that they are dealing with a British Company. Mustn’t be the same Dave Ames you are wrattling on about, so anonymous which Dave Ames are you talking about? Please do tell.
http://m.youtube. com/watch?v=FbPIAFrzmMU
Anonymous 7.44 are you being paid to be stupid and disruptive, cause no one can be that stupid.
“Ames lied in the UK case? Oh come on more accusations, no proof. ”
I think the video says it all don’t you.
And if Mr. Eustace felt that there was a UK conman and fraudster living on his island he has every right to make a complaint to the SFO, Where are Carol Dan Dave and Matt domiciled ?
Caribbean or the UK, think about that for a little while,
BP is a British company and boy did they pay through the yingyang
for their little gulf problem
Anonymous 7.44 makes yet more valid points, yes why did Gareth Fatchett loose in the UK, Dave Ames apparently gave him the Eire Transcripts and it was abundantly clear from those transcripts that the Caribbean business was controlled from the UK. Now why would Gareth not want to bring Harlequin down, was he not the lawyer espousing the virtues of a rescue, of a trust? Or was this a different Gareth Fatchett, surely had the other Gareth Fatchett taken Harlequin down the Gareth Fatchett running the trust would have no trust in which to extract a fee from thousands of investors, nor would he have had a Harlequin with whom is OTHER clients were expressing an interest in investing in, something Capital, was that 7 or 11, can’t remember now.
So now we have two Dave Ames and two Gareth Fatchett’s, how bizarre.
Harlequin is nonpariel in the Caribbean. In the negative sense of the
word.
“Dave Ames appantly gave him the Eire Transcripts” True or False, proof or lies? “And it was abundantly clear from those transcripts” Was it? How would you know? Seen them? Like to post the proof on here then? Going to be a long wait for the next episode of let’s make something up. No wait, I get it, the expose will be on the BBC program Panonight or Newsarama.
SFO don’t work overseas:
“Fraudsters do not recognise international boundaries. While the SFO has jurisdiction over England, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not over Scotland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands), it also works closely with other law enforcement agencies and regulators, both in the UK and abroad to investigate and prosecute people who commit serious and complex fraud and corruption.
Our International Assistance team in particular works closely on cases where the criminal conduct is principally taking place in another jurisdiction. The SFO helps other countries and law enforcement agencies (for example, the Department of Justice in the United States) in cases like this.”
This means they’ll work closely with other law enforcement agencies, but cannot act in jurisdictions other than England, Wales & Northern Ireland.
However, you must remember the case that Ames has to answer to. His fraud was perpetrated in the UK – the money was paid to HMSSE. This means that if Ames now claims “Harlequin” is controlled in the Caribbean, it would surely make HMSSE nothing short of a money laundering scheme:
“Money laundering is the process in which the proceeds of crime are transformed into ostensibly legitimate money or other assets”
“Money laundering is commonly defined as happening in three steps: the first step involves introducing cash into the financial system by some means (“placement”) HMSSE; the second involves carrying out complex financial transactions to camouflage the illegal source (“layering”) RDC’s; and the final step entails acquiring wealth generated from the transactions of the illicit funds (“integration”) Dave Ames owns all shares.”
I wonder what happened to the “deadline” for H Hotel victims?
Another scam perhaps?
I don’t believe anyone said “SFO don’t work overseas”. Perhaps you would point this post out. Or is this another lie posted on BFP.
Wonder what happened to the concrete mixer deadline?
“Where’s the proof? I need proof, there is no proof, I never read the proof cos I got a computer virus, you don’t have proof it’s all lies”
You’re like a stuck record Bob.
Here are two simple questions Bob. Where are the resorts? Where is the money that was handed over to build the missing resorts? And don’t blame Paddy and WK, that angle is getting tedious.
I’m glad they called it Harlequin because the more they do, the more I laugh.
This level of ineptitude is unprecedented. No build schedules, no construction partners (unless of course AECOM are coming on board), no budgets, no financial planning, no independent input.
Harlequin is a laughing stock. The single question which Ames needs to answer is ……. where is the finance? The finance you promised 6000 victims through your dodgy scheme. There is none. Ames is a liar, fraud and cheat. He needs to go to jail.
Click to access money_box_27_april_13.pdf
WARNING TO THOSE SEEKING DUE DILIGENCE, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING.
HARLEQUIN AS A BUSINESS HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN FRAUD, READ THE FOLLOWING.
Extract from Basildon Echo Article published on April 3 2012.
Click to access basildon-echo-harlequin-2012-04-03-1.pdf
Extract of Interview with Terry Potter Network Sales Harlequin.
He also confirmed there was no UK protection, but said: “Because we seriously do not have any debt, it is unIikely we could go broke. We own all the land outright and we can prove that.”
Some people who invested in properties in 2006 have still not got properties, or seen any returns. However Mr Potter told our reporter he would likely enjoy the benefits within three and a half years.
He said: ”At the moment all the stuff we have got is about three years down the line.”
Asked about delays, he added: “If you buy something today, we say to you now, it wiIl be three or four years before it will open. “In say three years time, three and-a-half-years time, you can pay your deposit back to yourself or to your bank or whatever, and you then have no money tied up
in it.”
Our reporter asked how Harlequin sold at “about half the price they are anywhere else” as Mr Potter claimed;
He said: “Because we own the land. “The biggest difference to all these people in here, oddly enough is my boss (Dave Ames) Is a millionaire. He sold a business about ten years ago and got loads of money. “That is why we can afford build. He owns the land, we build it, we sell it, we all work for him.
Another Extract from the same article
The brains behind Harlequin Is an entrepreneur who went from sales•man to property mogul in a few years.
Dave Ames fought back from bankruptcy to head an operation with offices in Basildon and the Caribbean. .
Mr Ames, seen as overall boss, runs offshore businesses, with wife Carole Ames, majority Shareholder of Harlequin Management Services in Basildon, where son Daniel, 34, is also a director.
Dave Ames was declared bankrupt in 1993 while an importer of garden leisure products. He later set up a double glazing business, fending off a 1997 bankruptcy bid.
A year later he was bankrupt again, with creditors, including the taxman, claiming a total of £50,000 was owed. .
However he bounced back, staying in double glazing, before setting up Loans Made Easy, which secured credit, in 2004, and acting as an agent for overseas property sales.
Money earned was used to purchase land in Barbados, and Harlequin Property was born.
A report published on the Hotel News Now website last month said Mr Ames also sold a construction company five years ago.
Mr and Mrs Ames moved from a semi-detached house in Wickford, to their detached home in BrockHill, Wickford, bought for £1.45million in 2007.
Healthy profits have allowed the family substantial dividends from the UK company. The last filed accounts for Harlequin Management Services show Mrs Ames received an £876,000 dividend – with Daniel Ames taking £146,000.
Tonight Matthew I will be…..Anonymous again. I’ve tried Odious, Whoisthefuss etc etc but anonymous has been my best ID. And here’s a serious question for you twatikins, where is the plant and equipment that DA paid for but was never ordered or paid for? Ah didums is that a bit too tedious for you. Perhaps 111 pages of the HP submission re WK might open your eyes a bit.
I’m glad to see the BBC transcripts on here. So Erica invested £38k and and expected to see a £28k per annum return. Even Wonga doesn’t get that sort of money back.
BFP is a funny place.
The amateur has moved on.
If Erica invested £38k, her unit will probably be “worth” near to £100k / £120k. After all, according to the 100% finance scheme, people had to put 30% down, the remaining 70% paid for with a “virtual mortgage” (which have yet to materialise).
A £28k per annum return on this would likely too high (I’ve not seen the performance of the Buccament Bay operation), but an annual pre-tax return of perhaps £2k – £4k would be more realistic, if your unit was occupied all year with an average of £500/mo profit.
Frankly, this is where the waters become so clouded that plod will have a job working out what went on. Being promised a return without any substantiating numbers to back up the claim is grossly (some would say criminally) irresponsible, especially for pension customers.
The fact that so many people are in a similar position suggests a systematic process of deceit, at least on part of the agents, but one could also argue on the part of Harlequin for perpetuating it.
“The biggest difference to all these people in here, oddly enough is my boss (Dave Ames) Is a millionaire.”
If that was the case, why did Mrs, Son A, Son B & Daughter all take “directors’ loans” which they can’t pay back?
Ames snr might be “worth” several million due to his UK property and being the sole shareholder in the Caribbean. However, those assets were paid for with money which wasn’t his. It should have been used to build resorts, which people are still waiting for.
This is the kind of misrepresentation which lead people down this dark path to begin with. Fool me once….
@ Stars in their eyes, again you raise some most interesting points and yes they do need to be addressed.
I have reposted your post below and added some salient points. Have a read you may find this most informative, I know most others will.
Stars in their eyes. on January 3, 2015 at 2:16 pm
Tonight Matthew I will be…..Anonymous again. I’ve tried Odious, Whoisthefuss etc etc but anonymous has been my best ID. And here’s a serious question for you twatikins, where is the plant and equipment that DA paid for but was never ordered or paid for? Ah didums is that a bit too tedious for you. Perhaps 111 pages of the HP submission re WK might open your eyes a bit.
Firstly the HP submission is just that, 111 pages of allegations made by Dave Ames et al against Wilkins Kennedy, this must be balanced against the responses by Wilkins Kennedy which to date you fail to acknowledge, and whilst Wilkins Kennedy have to date denied the bulk of the allegations made by Dave Ames et al, in the part 18 submissions to the court there are three interesting points that Wilkins Kennedy make in their responses, one that The various Harlequin companies were trading insolvently as far back as 2010 if not earlier, a point Wilkins Kennedy through their insurers lawyers are looking to demonstrate at trial, two that Dave Ames was operating a Ponzi like scheme which again Wilkins Kennedy through their insurers lawyers are seeking to demonstrate at trial and thirdly that the contract entered into with ICE Group was for a lump sum firm fixed fee/price, and here again Wilkins Kennedy through their insurers lawyers will demonstrate this at trial.
Now ICE Group, Wilkins Kennedy BDO and Ames himself acknowledge that the contract was a lump sum firm fixed fee/price contract, however Ames is the only one claiming that the contract was some sort of hybred contract. It must also be noted that the Irish Judge refused to make a determination on the issue of the contract.
So for you to state that Ames paid for plant and equipment which did not get purchased is only mirroring an as yet unproven unfounded allegation be Dave Ames, you appear on all occasions to take at face value what Dave Ames states, this despite the overwhelming evidence that clearly demonstrates that Ames has lied compulsively.
Why or how could Dave Ames pay for individual contract items if the contract was a lump sum fixed fee/price contract. And given that to date no determination has been made on the issue of the contract , I fail to see how you or Ames can make statements of fact on the issue pertaining to plant and equipment, you are however quite within your rights to espouse the views of Ames on the issue, no matter how flawed his rationale might be.
But you reasoning does lead us on to some other salient points.
In the Irish court, Dave Ames through his expert witnesses stated that Ridgeview construction had been paid some $ 2 million USD for the work they carried out at Buccament Bay. However in the dying days of the Irish case an employee of Harlequin gave evidence that this figure was in fact in excess of $ 32 million.
So Ridgeview construction were not paid c $ 2 million but $ 32 million. ICE Group replaced Ridgeview as everybody knows, BCQS valued the construction work at Buccament Bay as being c $ 26 million by June 2010.
The BCQS report shows c $ 2 million deducted from this being the amount Ames claimed was paid to Ridgeview. Leaving a balance of $ 24 million USD in value of work done by ICE Group.
But when we take the actual figure paid to Ridgeview of c $ 32 million as corrected by a senior Harlequin employee at the end of the Irish Trial and we take this $ 32 million from the value of work completed as per the BCQS report $ 26 million, BCQS should have stated the value of the work completed at the resort by ICE Group as being (minus) – $ 6 million USD.
Thus demonstrating that ICE Group were over paid by $ 52 million USD and Ridgeview by $ 6 million. But for BCQS to have stated this would have made a mockery of the case, I mean was Dave Ames asleep for the period Jan 2008- June 2010.
But even more interesting was that whilst BCQS undertook a valuation of works done at the Buccament Bay site since the project was started and this valuation was $ 26 million USD, BCQS at the same time carried out a seperate valuation as to the value of the resort, as we all know this valuation came in at $ 250 Million USD.
The above is of huge interest to Kennedys the lawyers for Wilkins Kenbedy’s insurers and it also was of enormous interest to the SFO.
“I’m glad to see the BBC transcripts on here. So Erica invested £38k and and expected to see a £28k per annum return. Even Wonga doesn’t get that sort of money back.”
I fail to see why you question the figures presented by Mrs Broughton as she took these examples from Harlequins own websites before the examples were all removed.
Another excellent post, yet again we have the pro Harlequin supporters to thank for elliciting such a comprehensive response. Assuming that what has been posted is correct, it really demonstrates beyond doubt that at the very least DA was grossly negligent in the management of purchasers deposits, it also, if the post is correct demonstrates the lengths DA will go to in an attempt to cover up his gross negligence, it also casts serious doubt on the valuation provided by BCQS, and in turn casts a rather large shadow on the expert witness evidence produced in the Irish Court case.
If the details in the latest post are correct, it will do nothing to assist purchasers in recouping their losses, worse it could allow Wilkins Kennedy exit the litigation with a victory, and this would have drastic consequences for DA, his family, his businesses and ultimately purchasers.
Correct me if I’m wrong but Ames is on video inducing people to buy a property on the basis that third party financing is NOT necessary. The whole business model was premised on the basis that the operating profits from the resort would bank roll the financing. So lack of finance should be no obstacle. Surely such bold claims were backed by robust financial modeling complete with sensitivity analyses testing the model against adverse changes in resort income and interest rates.
Is not the rental income of £28k dependent on the full amount for the property being paid, not a return on £38k deposit paid. And don’t use the excuse of finance being available, because the finance repayments would come out of the £28k. So Mrs Broughtons statement which was on Moneybox was totally misleading.
@Anon 3.52, can you confirm that the electrical contractor (baileys?) walked off the site because they had not been paid? Who was responsible for making those payments? Also I fail to see the relevance in your repeating the WK submission that HP was trading insolvently and DA was operating a Ponzi like scheme. What have those two assertions got to do with why equipment was not ordered and bills not paid? Also IF it was a Ponzi like scheme then were not two WK employees also part of that scheme as paid accountants and tax advisors?
No electrical contractor walked off site prior to June 2010, Ames may be trying to assert that a contractor had walked off site but this allegation again remains unproved.
The pro Harlequin poster was willing to quote from papers filed by Ames, the other poster was reminding us that Wilkins Kennedy have also filed papers and was referring to the more interesting points raised by Wilkins Kennedy, one that it was their belief that Harlequin was trading insolvently, two that Harlequin were operating a scheme similar to a Ponzi scheme and three that the contract was a fixed price contract, therefore and the poster answered your question quite comprehensively on the issue of why Ames would pay separately for plant and equipment.
The issue with the builder and Wilkins Kennedy is raised adnausium by those who support Harlequin, why is it that you are not interested therefore in the content of the documents filed by Wilkins Kennedy, is it that they are suggesting that DA was operating his businesses in a manner which broke the law.
You state that in someway the employees of Wilkins Kennedy are associated with a Ponzi scheme. I have no idea why Wilkins Kennedy in their court documents alledge that Harlequin was operating a scheme akin to a Ponzi scheme, but they have, in Black and White in their court submittals.
whatsthefuss on January 3, 2015 at 5:36 pm
If the Irish builder was so clean, how come Harlequin frozen all his assets and was allowed to sell them?
Gotcha there fatty twat
Very good point there Whatsthefuss, if only it were correct, there are no freezing orders in place over any of the builders assets, with the exception by an order of the court in St. Vincent that those assets cannot be removed from the Buccament Bay site pending further order from that court.
Ames lost a number of his freezing order applications way back in 2010 after they were contested, furthermore if what you state is correct in the fact that Dave Ames sold all his assets, then Ames will have committed a criminal act, theft I believe you could call it. There was no court order allowing Dave Ames sell any assets and as Dave Ames did not seek the permission of the court to sell these assets to do so would have been a criminal act and would make Dave Ames a thief, so I doubt very much Dave Ames has sold any assets,
But if he has, he is s thief, therefore taking a defamation action would really be pointless, now wouldn’t it be.
But then again we are talking about Dave Ames, I do wonder at times if It is true and Dave Ames told you that he had all these freezing orders and that he sold all the assets whether Dave Ames is playing with a full deck. It’s obvious from those that support him that they most definetly are clueless as to the real facts behind Dave Ames.
Instead they prefer to churn out a never ending stream of what we have come to expect from DA, that being pure and absolute bullshit.
Those supporters of Ames have never addressed the questions raised today about the valuations nor have they addressed the questions raised earlier about what Ames did with the c £ 300-330 million he took in after the builder and Wilkins Kennedy left.
I find the behaviour of the pro Harlequin supporters akin to that of Comical Ally in the 2nd Gulf War. Is this an indication of the ever increasing desperation by DA and his followers.
I note that there has been no update from DA on the deadline for the H Hotel. A deadline which is absolutely meaningless, if anyone was to rock up to Ames in the next month with cash for H Hotel Ames would bite your hand off to take it. His Deadlines are laughable.
Like everything else he says.
@ Anonymous 5.25 pm you state the following;
“Also I fail to see the relevance in your repeating the WK submission that HP was trading insolvently and DA was operating a Ponzi like scheme.”
Anonymous whether this was relevant to your post or not is frankly ‘Irelevant’
The fact that these assertions by Wilkins Kennedy are now to be played out in a court of law is frankly terrible news for investors. On the one hand you have Dave Ames trying to coerce more funds out of potential victims against a background of an SFO Essex Police criminal investigation coupled with the fact that now Wilkins Kennedy are attempting to prove that the Ames businesses were not only insolvent going back nearly 5 years but also that Ames was also operating a fraudulent criminal enterprise.
How the hell do you expect any one financiers or others to have any confidence in Ames and his schemes until at least the authorities criminal investigation and the Wilkins Kennedy case is concluded.
This could take years. And in the meantime Ames wants us to trust him with even more purchasers money.
What just what if Ames looses to Wilkins Kennedy, what happens then. What if the SFO go ahead and prosecute Ames, what happens then eh?
Will Ames blame the judiciary or the judicial system for the huge losses purchasers are facing, of course he will.
I seem to recall that the resort building plant and machinery was owned by Ridgeway which was taken over by ICE. I see there has been no update on ready mix mans court order over H hotel.
So Ames sold the Ridgeview assets and not the Ice Group assets, I wonder if Ridgeview gave Ames permission to sell those assets,
I did see in the Irish court cases that 10 million of the 14 million in assets was purchased by Ice Group after Ridgeview had left, this in evidence provided by Dave Ames himself, but hell what do I know,
I doubt anyone in Barbados will take Ames to court, we are talking about Dave Ames here, not some criminal enterprise. He is afterall untouchable right ? Right ?
Dave Ames who redefined investment.
Would these be extracts from the famous court transcripts that have not been published? Perhaps you can cut and paste the extract where DA stated that 10 m was purchased by ICE? Go on here’s your chance to prove something.
How long does a non-disclosure agreement last in UK, SVG & BGI.
I betcha Ken Picknell would love to set a few of the HD trolls right.
Don’t provide the transcripts, the Harlequin Trolls will say they are forged. Pointless exercise these morons are hell bent on disruption and lying to save their masters hide.
@not interested. Mystic meg is back. It’s difficult to provide something you don’t have.
@ not interested, the transcripts do exist, fact. The Finance does not, fact. Ames is a liar, fact. Ames is a thief, yes he is, fact. Will Ames accept responsibility for what has happened, no, that’s a fact. Will the Harlequin trolls continue to distract, disrupt and blame everyone else for this disaster, yes, fact.
Will the Harlequin Trolls answer the question as to where the money went? No, Fact. Is Bob still on here, Yes, fact.
Has Ames gained any respect as a result? No, Fact. Does anyone with a brain believe Ames anymore, No, Fact.
Has Ames committed perjury. Yes. Fact.
Is this perjury being dealt with. Yes. Fact.
while we are on the subject of truth.
The WK defense submission, P45 re the role of Newman and the web site.
“The terms of the settlement are agreed as set out in APDX 5 of the claim.
Apdx 5 of the claim says
“Mr Newman apologises for the offence and upset caused to the Ames family”.
Now theres a thing. Been denied all along by the anti HP trolls. FACT
So why did Ames state in his conference call that Mr. Newman had NOT apologised. I wonder if you would care to print the whole of the agreed statement or are you now saying that even Ames lied about the apology?
Because all you are doing time and time again if you are correct that is and you really have not been correct about anything yet now have you, is demonstrating what a liar Ames is.
Sadly you have taken the apology out of context hence the reason Ames is spitting feathers that Mr. Newman did not apologise over Harlecon.
But it really does not matter now does it. Ames has no finance, he is the one still facing serious criminal investigations from the SFO and Essex Police, he can’t account properly for spending close to £ 500 million, and he can’t build any resorts.
Dave Ames is swimming in the Brown stuff and no amount of rhetoric from your good self will change this.
Dave Ames lied like a trooper, committed perjury, is facing potential criminal sanctions for what he has done, yes no?
P51 APDX 5 sch2 of the submission. Also it seems that Paraig O’Halloran had a Directors loan account set up by Newman. So it would seem that DLA is common practice. Well fancy that.
@ Bob 9.53 pm would you ever give it up, the issue of the apology has been debated to death on here. For the record Mr. Newman apologised to the Ames family if they thought he had stated as a ‘Fact’ that they had operated a Ponzi scheme, Mr. Newman correctly pointed out that he never stated that the Ames family had operated a Ponzi scheme, what he stated was there was a very strong possibility that the Ames family were operating a Ponzi scheme, so he apologised to the Ames family if they had misunderstood what he said. Ames has since acknowleged the fact that Mr. Newman has not apologised and seems to be rather upset about this fact given his need to address this in his conference call.
But you Bob will continue in vain I might add, to avoid the pertinent questions with respect to Ames, as pointed out, he is the only one being investigated for serious criminal fraud, and that is what is causing him huge problems with his credibility.
Ames is a joke in the Caribbean, and only he in his little mind seriously believes he is a successful businessman.
Bob read it again, the big difference between the directors loan account that Mr. O Halloran had, he actually loaned his companies monies, and you are getting a bit confused, you are talking about the shareholders loan account where the Ames family took out money and have not repaid it back.
Directors Loan Accounts are most common Bob as are Shareholders Loan Accounts, the problem here is that the Ames family are refusing to pay back their shareholders loans.
Anonymous no point in trying to correct that Moron Bob. He is as twisted as Ames, indeed he could be Ames. All Bob is doing is demonstrating that he is totally ignorant of the facts.
The shareholders loan has gone straight over his head, no one cares about any of the other parties anymore, Ames has flogged that to death. It’s been nearly 5 years since the problems with the builder and Wilkins Kennedy and in the interim period Ames and Co. have managed to squander a further close on £ 300 million quid. It’s curtains for Ames, has been for sometime now.
This whole thing with Ames and Harlequin is a joke. Ames only success is the way he has destroyed thousands of lives.
I have never come across a company or individual who’s only real business seems to be litigation.
This guy Ames used purchaser cash to carry out his and his families personal vendetta against those he could not get on with, and to what end. His and his families credibility is destroyed. His companies have failed and are trading insolvently, he has tried to go cap in hand to the purchasers he already took £ 500 million off, for even more cash.
He and his few supporters continue to blame everyone else for this failure, but it is only the Ames family and their companies that are under a criminal investigation, no one else is being investigated for criminal fraud.
Their claims are doing nothing to slow the investigations, nor does it help get reaorts built. Ames was / is the chairman and sole director of the majority of the Ames companies, so it is Ames who must admit responsibility for this mess, but I doubt he ever will.
Anyone, even Bob Storey(teller) must know that finance is just not possible with such an incompetent chairman as Ames at the helm.
The runt made a cock up when he had millions coming in each month – why all of a sudden is he going to become a genuin business man – what a laugh.
You are missing out on Matt, the business guru, oops sorry he has been done for FRAUD.
Dear all,
Firstly let me take the opportunity to wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
We have had an excellent response from investors who wish to complete on the H Hotel, as such we have decided to extend the deadline to the end of Feburary 2015.
For those who wish to complete but were unable to contact either Vinny Stenning or Dan Dalligan over the holiday period they along with their excellent team will be happy to arrange all the necessary documentation over the next 8 weeks.
We are in the process of appointing a leading international contractor and project management firm to restart the H Hotel project in Barbados, we anticipate construction to begin in the first half of 2015 with a soft opening penciled in for Christmas 2016.
Wilkins Kennedy;
We recieved communication from Wilkins Kennedys legal teams over the Holiday period, unfortunately they have made a number of procedural applications which are a cynical attempt at delaying the inevitable, as a result our date for the case review has been put back to a later date then originally stated, whilst this is very frustrating for all of us, it is a clear indication that Wilkins Kennedy have no appetite to see this case to trial given the inevitable outcome.
However I must point out that this delay brought on by Wilkins Kennedy will not affect our restructuring plans going forward.
We have also seen huge interest in the trust option, I’d like to point out that those purchasers seeking redress can still do so, joining the trust will not prevent you from pursuing those independent agents who misold investments to you, and I and the team at Harlequin fully support all purchasers who feel they were misold a property.
Having made leaps and bounds in our restructuring of the business in 2014, and with bookings exceeding those of 2014 by 50% for 2015 for our award winning Resorts and Hotels we look forward to adding the prestigious H Hotel to our growing family of 5 star luxury.
We continue to work with the various agencies on our other resorts in order to secure the necessary approvals to build, some of the agencies were slow to deal with us as a result of the wholly unwarranted negative press we received from a tiny minority wishing to destroy our excellent reputation.
But as we all know the Operating Resorts and Hotels speak for themselves, for those of you who have not expierienced the luxury that is Harlequin Hotels & Resorts keep an eye out for some eye watering offers to be announced soon.
I look at Harlequin as being a partnership between investors and the excellent management at Harlequin, the dream we are bringing to investors is not easy, especially where banks are nervous given the past 5 years, however the feed back I constantly recieve from financial institutions is one of huge encouragement, many financial institutions have indicated that they look forward to coming on board once the trust has been established, but with the interest shown by investors they too are now willing to invest additional cash into the business, with this in mind if you are an investor whether you have already invested with us or not, please contact us and we will be only too happy to go through the many investment options we will be rolling out in 2015, your investment coupled with the trust and institutional finance will ensure that Harlequin will continue to grow the excellent reputation it has built in the Caribbean.
We look forward from hearing from you in these most exciting times for all of us.
Again thank you all for your genuine support to date. Together we will succeed.
Kind regards,
Dave Ames Chairman Harlequin Hotels & Resorts.
If Carlesberg did bullshit …..
If only Ames did resorts they’d probably be ………………
So, in summary:
There are still not enough investors stupid enough to sign up to the Harlequin trust for it to work.
Construction at H Hotel has not started and no contractor has been appointed. No confirmation from the Chairman if a written contract will be used this time, but the next update will clarify unless an NDA has been completed by then.
There is no confirmation of the date for the case review on the WK saga, but the previous date given by Harlequin is incorrect. No clear explanation on how this WK stuff fits in with resort development programmes and (that old favourite) “restructuring” over the coming year with the remainder of the £440m investor fund pot, but we can assume it’s irrelevant for now.
Back to the trust – although any investors stupid enough to join the trust will render themselves unable to sue Harlequin or Ames, they will still be able to try to sue anyone else who advised them to buy a Harlequin investment, and Ames fully supports that action.
Restructuring (i.e. liquidating various companies and rigorously pursuing litigation in order to safeguard Ames family reputation (!)) continues year on year.
Bookings are increasing exponentially at the resort(s?) year on year, even faster than the rate of construction, and holiday prices continue to fall.
Planning permissions and other statutory obligations required to commence development at other resort(s?) are still outstanding.
There is no finance agreement, and no lenders or financial institutions want to do business with Harlequin.
And finally, Ames would really welcome any money from anyone, including you lovely investors.
Reading between the lines, I think it’s still the case that virtually no-one who invested in a Harlequin property is seeing a return on their investment, and nor are they likely to for a long long time.
That just about sums it up.
That email, although reading like a classic Ames masterpiece, is a fake. The grammar is hideous – try and find a “full stop” in any of the paragraphs.
Although having said that, it does highlight some of the glaring issues with the Harlequin “business model”, which the fan base seem to be ignoring… specifically all but a blessed few have yet to see any returns.
Harlequin’s biggest weakness has, and always will be, finance. Ames’ track record in finance is a mess; Harlequin’s finances are a mess; the whole scheme was ill-conceived from the outset. The financial obligations of the company cannot be met – even if they achieve “completions” they will not be able to give people the returns they were so fervently promised by Harlequin themselves…..
…. and yes Ames, we have the brochures and sales material. Don’t try and blame the IFA’s – it was your bait which reeled victims in. The IFA’s just held the rods.
The reality of the situation is that the Ames family has built its own asset base with other people’s money. This is important because David Ames is the only person who can control both these assets, and any of the benefits they yield, which means that he is fully entitled to line his own pockets from the meager profits of Buccament Bay & Blu, bought with other people’s money.
The “trust option” the anonymous poster alluded to is also an outright joke. Whoever signs up to such a worthless scrap of paper needs to have their money confiscated from them immediately… Ames’ “trust” is nothing more than a thinly-veiled smokescreen to give him an escape route to “retirement”. The trust prevents you from suing the one person who is responsible for this entire mess, and frankly, he is the one who it should least apply to.
If Ames was truly looking out for the victims, he would do two things.
Firstly, he would come clean on everything that’s happened with this scheme.
– Why did he run out of money?
– What happened with Fatchett?
– How much was spent in Buccament Bay?
– Of that money, how much was spent on what?
– What is the operating income, and net income, of Buccament Bay & Blu?
– etc
Secondly, he will sign over all of his own assets to “Harlequin”, to give the company independence. Whilst he could remain a director, he most certainly should not be the shareholder of any of them. The shares of the companies should be put into the trust, not charge over a few ponds and trees. The victims own the shares, not Ames.
Lightning doesn’t strike twice. If you were bankrupted in 1993, and again in 1997, it says much more about your financial aptitude rather than your business acumen.
Do everyone a favor Ames and face the music. No-one cares about your hare-brained scheme anymore. Let professionals manage it – at least then hopefully some of the victims will have a hope of getting their lives back.
I would agree that the e mail would appear to be a fake.
WK legal team contacted us over the holiday period? They would be the only legal team in the country working over the holiday period then.
And anonymous 11.06 if you want to know what happened with Fatchett then why not ask Fatchett.
“Never again”
1 of 5 starsReviewed yesterday NEW
I had planned to write a long, detailed review but with so very many negatives I’ve decided I won’t waste anymore time on this place. We travelled in October for a 60th birthday with Blue Bay Travel, who were excellent both before we travelled and when we arrived back. We are experienced travellers who have stayed in 5 star resorts all over the world including 4 other Caribbean Islands. The positives: the resort is stunning beautiful despite the artificial beach, the steaks in Jacks are excellent and rooms are very clean and large. The list of negatives is seemingly endless so I will just concentrate on the most upsetting. 1. After 14 hours travelling BA flight arrived on time Liat tickets in hand we were told at the check in that we had been removed from the flight and would have a private transfer – which we did after a 4 hour delay waiting for 2 people on a late Virgin flight. 2. Lumps of wood round the plunge pool (filthy) which had fallen off the roof. 3. Blocked toilet. 4. Ceiling: Water pouring into the lounge near electrics when it rained solution was to bring bath towels so had sodden towels all over the lounge floor. 5. Food: often cold and undercooked chicken and pizza dough breakfast crawling with flies.6. No room service, no alcohol before noon, no beach towels no coffee in room. 7. Evening entertainment: one piano player. 8. Could’nt pay with travellers cheques on checking out after they watched us sign them. 9.General state of repair very poor ie broken and mouldy sunbeds. 10. Pool area had 18 umbrellas and the beach just 4 so no chance of any shade unless you were very lucky. I could go on but upset just recalling it all.
Stayed October 2014, travelled as a couple
Somebody has written the book.
Regards.
The best plan by far is to leave Ames to fail…… himself.
Then the authorities will deal with him.
Hairy Mary’ I won’t be running to anyones defence, too busy enjoying my free holiday at BB to worry about you morons. You don’t think I troll for no reward do you?
As for the bad review above, they must have taken a wrong turn to somewhere else.
I will post my tripadvisor review this week!
@Whatsthefuss
It’s the only way you could afford to go Richard. You would love it mingling with people who had a few ‘Bob’ unlike yourself 😉
How about a “selfie” in front of Jacks
Worriedinvestor, yes because you would know wouldn’t you!!!
What a clown!
4 stars, reviewed 3 days ago.
Stayed at Buccament Bay for one week at the start of November and it was perfect apart from several small issues.
Getting There and Back
Flew from Manchester to St Vincent via Barbados with Thomas Cook. Was a hour late from Manchester but flight went smoothly. Had booked and paid previously for the private Harlequin transfer from Barbados but this is where problems started. When we arrived in Barbados we were advised at the airport that the pilot had hurt his back and so there was no Harlequin flight. Apparently there were no more Liat flights that day either.
As this affected a few of us from the Manchester flight we were then told that we would have to stay in Barbados overnight and catch the Harlequin flight the next day and that we would be refunded for our stay in Barbados (which was in a room only 3* hotel which was not up to standard). The next morning we were again told that there would be no Harlequin flight so were put on the second Liat flight of the day which thankfully went smoothly. We are still in the process of claiming back money from what we spent on an expensive below average meal at the hotel in Barbados, transfers to and from Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados and the cost of the Harlequin flight.
Heading back however, we did manage to get on the Harlequin flight which was superb and on time with our flight from Barbados also leaving on time. The plane was perfect with the pilot very friendly and felt very exclusive as well as it been a very smooth flight. The airport in St Vincent is certainly an experience and the smallest airport I’ve ever been in.
Hotel Outlook
We were greeted warmly at the resort with a cocktail (which was lovely), our luggage was taken off us and we were escorted to our bungalows where a member of staff showed us how everything worked etc.
The bungalows are all spaced out very well although the further bungalows could be a problem for those with restricted mobility. The reception bungalow is positioned pretty central and there are also golf carts that you can catch a ride on (or call for one) from your bungalow.
Restaurants and bars (apart from Saffron) are all located near each other and the pool area
Overall the resort is very peaceful and the way everything is set out is very good.
Rooms
Deluxe Rooms were very large and the bed is one of the most comfortable I’ve slept in. The shower is also the best and would love one like it at home. TV had a wide variety of channels, minibar was always stocked, room always cleaned and turned down by our great cleaner and comfortable dressing gowns. Our room faced the Saffron Resturant (even had a Buddha statue in our front garden!) but had no problem with noise, smell etc.
Eating
Jack’s was by far our favourite restaurant and we would pay to eat somewhere like this in the UK. I don’t eat red meat and my friend does not eat seafood but both agreed the fillet steak and tuna steak were the best we’ve ever eaten and we would have paid good money for them. There are a wide range of steaks, chicken, ribs and seafood. Occasionally they ran out of items but don’t let that bother you and you can always try it another night. The starters (especially the Scallops) and the desserts are also very good. We ate at Jack’s every night it was open!
The breakfast at the Bay Beach Club had a wide variety but the omelette station was the best with fantastic Monique. Her Smoked Salmon,cheese and spinach omelettes were amazing! Curt and his smoothies were also great. Lunch a la carte menu service had a vast range of burgers, pasta, pizza, paninis etc as well as a buffet (which we never tried) and different themed A La Carte evenings which were very good (Italian, Caribbean etc)
Loved the daily BBQ round the pool with good quality meat and seafood. Spent a number of days enjoying BBQ food from the comfort of my sun bed.
Kim and the HQ Coffee Shop were brilliant for premade sandwiches, fresh waffles and crepes, numerous flavours of ice cream, cakes, coffees etc.
Didn’t eat at Saffran as enjoyed the others too much and had heard reports that it didn’t match up to Jack’s and the Bay Beach Club.
Didn’t order room service.
Drinking
The main bar is the Bay Beach Club which serves a variety of drinks and branded alcohol. The cocktails were great and strong and appreciated the soft drinks being in cans.
We also loved just sitting with a drink at the bar in Jack’s for a few hours after our meals in Jack’s listening to whatever musician was on that night. There are only around 6 tall seats at the bar but as there were only 2 of us it was perfect.
Staff/Service
The staff are what make Buccament Bay. Every single member of staff we met was helpful and friendly and we had some really great conversations with them. Too many great members of staff to mention but Monique, Kim, Brod, Enoch, Curt, Saffron, Alaska all stood out as well as the guy at the Sushi bar (sorry can’t remember his name)
Facilities
Had 2 massages at the Spa with Enoch whilst I was there which were superb and very relaxing.
Didn’t do any of the sporting activities or water sports
The pools were great and we never had a problem getting sun beds no matter what time of day
The main beach is lovely but we loved the secluded beach at the side of Jack’s
The shop sells essentials but quite expensive, however loved the Buccament Bay shopping bags
Yes the sun beds are looking tired and frayed and some of the beds can be a little dirty but so long as you have a towel over them (provided) they shouldn’t be a problem.
Excursions
Would have loved to have done the Tobago Cays excursion but as this was on a Thursday we did not get chance to do this as we were a day late (arriving on the Friday) and left the resort the following Thursday. We did however do the Mustique and Bequai tour with Fantasea excursions which was brilliant. The boat crew were friendly and very helpful and soft drinks, rum punch etc was included. Once on Mustique you can either walk or have a taxi tour of the Island Which takes around 1 hour and costs around £60 for a party of 6. Luckily there were other people on the boat who also wanted to do this (as the taxis are preordered to be there when you arrive) so it worked out around £10 each. Would recommend doing this as the driver tells you lots of information about the island, there are photo stops etc and you will see more than if you walked around (as also quite hilly in parts). You also get chance to stop off at the famous Basil’s Bar for a drink (own cost) The trip was around £110-£120 but worth doing.
We also booked to go on the free sunset cruise with the hotel. This was lovely with drinks and canapés (things such as pizza bites, prawns etc). The sunset was stunning but unfortunately did not see any Dolphins (which was why we went on the cruise). It is around 60-90 minutes in total but maybe take a cover up as was quite chilly on the way back once the sun had set.
Weather
We had mostly sunny days however there were a few days with heavy rainfall. Whilst the bay Beach Club got swamped with water which took several hours to get rid of, we took it in our stride, had a few more drinks on a stool at the bar before returning to our villa. The rain only lasted around 1-2 hours at most before the sun came out again.
Overall
Whilst this resort is not perfect, for the price we paid, extras and our bungalow, food and service I would return because of the value of the holiday for what you get. I know the Harlequin group are currently suffering from some problems but hopefully these will get ironed out as Buccament Bay could be amazing. If you are hesitating, just go and don’t let the little things interfere with your holiday. Take lots of Mosquito spray!
Stayed November 2014, travelled with friends
Anonymous, I will post the pictures on TA when I do my excellent review
What ever happened to the plane? It’s absence from the Caribbean skies over the busy holiday period is quite conspicuous. Has someone not paid their bill?
Wait for the press release from Harlequin: “Caribbean Helicopters are unsafe and unsuitable for Harlequin’s customers, so in the interests of public safety we cancelled the contract”
Followed by the announcement of another law suit
Tripadvisor guidelines:
“What is considered fraud?
Writing a review for their own business, or for any property the reviewing party owns, manages, or has a financial interest in.”
The plane journey was perfect to SVG. so don’t worry.
Harlequin is a scam. FACT
Hi Jack, Harlequin has closed down pretty much every other website anywhere and BFP is doing a good job in allowing people to air their views about what is potentially a major scam.
You may not like what is posted here but you don’t have to read it if you don’t want.
Why not go back to your pots and flowers in the forest.
Hi folks
We’re closing off the comments on this thread as it is slowing down the entire blog.
Here’s the latest Harlequin article where you can continue the discussions
Will the Harlequin Resorts debacle explode in 2015?