Pensioner arraigned in connection with illegal gambling, denies charges

A 71-year-old man from St Paul’s Bay will remain in custody until he provides a €50,000 bail bond and a €20,000 third party guarantor, after he was charged with organising illegal gambling events and money laundering.

The septuagenarian in question, Michael Mifsud, appeared in the dock before Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia on Monday to face the charges.

Prosecutor Andrea Zammit, from the Office of the Attorney General, told the court that in December 2020 the police had started investigating after receiving information stating that Mifsud held a suspiciously large balance in his bank accounts.

The subsequent police investigation discovered a €250,000 discrepancy between the income from his pension and his bank deposits which, the prosecutor said, had later increased by another €60,000.

Police Inspector Keith Mallan explained that further investigations revealed that Mifsud was organising illegal gambling and was not declaring any of the proceeds to the taxman.

Mifsud pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court was also requested to issue freezing and seizure orders over all assets and property belonging to the defendant, including any that were currently being held by third parties.

Magistrate Farrugia upheld the request for the freezing order, setting the value to be seized or frozen at €300,000.

Defence lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri made a request for bail, which was not objected to on the prosecution’s end, as long as sufficiently onerous conditions were imposed. 

After hearing submissions on bail, the court released the elderly defendant from arrest, ordering him to sign a bail book twice a week and deposit his identity card and passport in court.

His bail was secured by a €50,000 personal guarantee as well as a €20,000 third party guarantor. The court was then informed that Mifsud had no family. He will be held in preventive custody until a third party guarantor can be found.