A college director has appeared in court charged with involvement in a £3 million fraud.

Leigh Berridge is accused of inducing the Scottish Government to hand over the cash to Adam Smith College in Kirkcaldy, Fife.

The alleged scheme is said to have occurred between 2008 and 2012.

Mr Berridge, 46, of Cupar, is said to have been a director of the institution’s European Funding Department.

The accusation centres around information allegedly provided regarding staffing costs in respect of EU-funded projects.

Prosecutors claim it was pretended that the college was “entitled to recoup” costs. It is said forms and documentation were submitted that contained “fabricated” information.

The indictment further states auditors were also given false details about costs in “an attempt to to conceal” the alleged “criminality”.

The college is said to have obtained £3.3m of cash from the Scottish Government that it was not entitled to with an attempt to get another £127,000.

Mr Berridge yesterday faced a charge of being involved in a fraudulent scheme during a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.

Anna Milligan, of Leven, also appeared in the dock accused of the same offence.

The 60-year-old was said to be the college’s business development manager at the department of which Mr Berridge was director.

But prosecutor Iain McSporran said the case against Milligan was being dropped. Mr Berridge will return to court for a further hearing in April. No trial date was fixed.