Fraudster who swindled couple of thousands conditionally discharged

John Micallef, accused of fraud and recidivism, was conditionally discharged by the court, presided over by magistrate Doreen Clarke.

Micallef, 55 and from Gharghur, was found guilty of defrauding a couple out of €6,000.

Police said that they had been on the lookout for the man for quite some time but he had apparently changed his home address. 

The accused had pleaded not guilty to misappropriation and fraud when he swindled a couple on the promise of helping them with some documents at the Lands Department. Micallef is a maintenance worker. 

The promise to the couple was made in 2018 and had never been fulfilled. The accused had fled with the money. 

Micallef was finally arrested at the end of July and denied bail when he was arraigned.

Defence lawyer Mario Mifsud said that the man had been receiving medical treatment abroad, which would explain why the police could not track him down. 

The court conditionally discharged him and ordered him to pay back the money he took from the victims.