No bail for alleged property rental fraudster

A man who rented out a property which does not belong to him has been charged with fraud.

Daniele Aquilina, 26 of Ta’ Xbiex was accused of defrauding two men, breaching bail and breaching a probation order.

Aquilina’s mother was present in magistrate Neville Camilleri’s courtroom, as Aquilina pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Aquilina had allegedly been allowed to stay at a property, which he had subsequently rented out to third parties. When the owner found out about this state of affairs, he had informed the police.

It is not Aquilina’s first brush with the law: he was on bail for another offence and had been charged with holding up a café at knifepoint last December, as well as having been jailed in 2016 for identity fraud.

Lawyer Noel Bartolo, appointed as legal aid to the man, requested bail. “The cases verges on the civil, not criminal law,” said the lawyer, explaining that Aquilina had a notarial contract over the property.

Recent history showed that he had obeyed his bail and it would be seen later on that he is contesting the charges with good arguments, argued the lawyer, also pointing out that the charge of breach of bail can only stand if the man is found guilty.

As the man had only recently been released from prison and had lost his job because of this case, the lawyer asked for a personal guarantee to be imposed instead of a deposit.

The court, however, denied bail in view of the alleged breach of bail and the probation order, as well as because he is a recidivist. The court said it was not convinced that he would obey bail conditions it would impose.

Inspector Jonathan Ransley prosecuted.