Fuel smuggling: Libya war necessitated cash payments, defence says

Maltese fuel companies that transferred money to businesses owned by Darren Debono and Jeffrey Chetcuti had never been spoken to by the police during the investigation into fuel smuggling from Libya and neither were attempts made to contact Libya, a police inspector has confirmed in court today.

The compilation of evidence against Debono and Chetcuti, who are charged with fuel smuggling and money laundering continued this morning with police Inspector James Turner testifying on his role in the investigation.

Cross-examined by defence lawyer Giannella De Marco, the inspector told the court that, as had also previously been explained by Inspector Omar Caruana in the last sitting, that his focus had been on banking transactions and that he had flagged several transactions involving businesses owned by the accused men.

Asked whether he or anyone from his team of officers had visited Libya to see how the business operated, the inspector said that this had not happened. Neither had anyone from the other team of investigating officers, led by Inspector Caruana, he said.

Turner explained that he had been investigating the allegations of fuel smuggling after being assigned to the investigation in 2020, taking over from Inspector Antonovich Muscat who had been leading it since 2013. He said that he had started the investigation from scratch after he had taken over.

Bank accounts and income across five banks had been examined by investigators who had also built up profiles of Debono and his associates, he said. Accounts belonging to the subjects that had been closed were also looked at, as had companies active between 2013 and 2020. Purchases of vehicles and ships were also scrutinised, he said.

Inspector Turner added that customs documentation relating to the importation of fuel and receipts issued from related companies, also formed part of the investigation.

The inspector listed Falzon Group, San Lucian Oil Company and Go Fuels as companies that had featured in the investigation. Asked by De Marco as to whether he had spoken to any of these companies, Turner replied that his team had not and to the best of his knowledge neither had the other team.

Debono had told his bank that the intentions behind the transactions had been to withdraw cash from his account and use it in Libya, confirmed the inspector. De Marco also asked whether the inspector was aware of the fact that there was a civil war in Libya at the time. The country had two opposing ruling factions and it was very difficult to access the Libyan banking system, suggested the lawyer. Inspector Turner replied in the affirmative.

Payments had to be made in cash, confirmed the inspector, also agreeing with the defence lawyer that everything appeared to have been in order with Customs, with the relative receipts having been issued.

Turner said the documentation he requested had been passed on to the police and that the reason for the disbursements from Malta appeared to have been for oil purchases.

De Marco pressed the witness as to why the police had not seen fit to speak to the companies involved, a question that was also put to the inspector by presiding Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, but the witness said that they had not seen a need to. The police had focused on the transactions, he said.

The witness, who appeared pale and unwell during his testimony, replied in the negative when asked if checks had been carried out as to whether the fuel was actually being delivered.

Lawyers Giannella De Marco, Stephen Tonna Lowell and Jean Paul Sammut appeared for Debono, accompanied by Italian lawyer Alessandro Gentiloni Silveri.

Jeffrey Chetcuti was represented by lawyers Charles Mercieca and Gianluca Caruana Curran.

Lawyer Antoine Mifsud Bonnici appeared for the office of the Attorney General.