Fake voucher sellers remanded in custody

A couple have been refused bail after being charged with defrauding some 38, mostly elderly people, out of over €5,000.

Magistrate Myriam Hayman heard how the pair, 32-year old waste collector Joseph Meilaq, of St. Paul’s Bay, and unemployed 30-year old mother of three Graziella Apap, of Siggiewi, would knock on doors and tell the victim that they had won a €5000 voucher redeemable on the condition that they donate a minimum of €200 to Dar tal-Providenza, which they would then collect. One victim reportedly gave them €500.

Lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran, representing Apap, requested bail, saying that very few of the victims actually know his client and there was no risk of tampering with evidence or intimidation of witnesses. “Effectively, the only witness is the co-accused” he told the court.

Meilaq’s lawyer, Giannella Demarco, told the court that her client needed help as he was being treated for severe depression and requested that he be remanded in custody at the hospital forensic unit for further treatment as opposed to prison.

Police Inspector Jonathan Ferris told the court that the two had been living together for some time and that Apap would put pressure on Meilaq, telling him that if he didn’t pay her €100 every day, she would evict him. The money was apparently used to buy TVs and ornaments for the home.

He objected to bail due to the sheer number of victims, saying that this meant there was a high chance of one of the victims encountering the accused. Some victims live in close proximity to the accused, he added.

The magistrate agreed with the prosecution’s arguments and denied both accused bail, however she also ordered that all the prosecution witnesses be summoned and heard in one sitting.