Mother of five admits to €320,000 fraud, money laundering

Dorianne Zammit, 36 of Zurrieq, has admitted to serious fraud and money laundering charges soon after being arraigned before Magistrate Antonio Mizzi.

Zammit, who is a mother of five, all of which are currently being held within institutions, is married to a Turkish national, and was sought by the police over the past few months in Turkey, the UK, Britain and the Netherlands.

Addressing the court, lawyer Arthur Azzopardi who appeared for Zammit, said that his client was admitting to all the charges but contested the amount as charged, saying that the debt she has with the defrauded parties amounts to €130,000 but has increased to €320,000 with interest and other expenses.

Azzopardi said that Zammit has spent all the money on her children's welfare, settling previous marriage debts, and also sent money to her Turkish husband's family.

Zammit, who now bears the Dagdeviren surname from her new Turkish husband, admitted to having approached George and Georgina Dalli in September 2010 and asked them to help her out financially as she had inherited vast plots of land over which she had to pay substantial amounts in tax and other charges.

After registering the admission, Magistrate Antonio Mizzi ordered a pre-sentencing report to be prepared by the end of October. Until then, the mother will remain in jail under preventative arrest.

Lawyers Andy Ellul and Vincent Micallef appeared parte civile for the Dalli family.