Ministry denies disappearance of medical files related to social benefits fraud scheme

The Ministry for Social Policy has denied allegations made by Roger Agius, one of five individuals accused of running a social benefits fraud racket.

On Saturday, the Ministry said that, “It is an absolute lie that medical files disappeared.” 

The Ministry was reacting to a claim emerging from a reply filed on Friday to an application by FCID inspector Shaun Friggieri in the compilation of evidence against Agius and the other alleged conspirators behind the racket.

The Ministry said that every virtual or physical file that the police had requested was handed over, noting that while the majority of the files are virtual, any tampering would be traceable. 

“It is more obvious than ever before that Agius has a serious difficulty to explain his involvement in the alleged ‘racket,’ which seems crystal clear that it was not created for votes as he is alleging, but for other reasons that will eventually come out in court,” the ministry said.

The Ministry further stated that investigations show that 340 people were receiving disability benefits fraudulently. The statement noted that Roger Agius himself also received fraudulent benefits between 2016 and 2023, and has refunded none of the €43,398 he pocketed. 

According to the Ministry, Agius is also yet to enter an agreement with the relevant dipartment to repay the funds. 

The Ministry called on the court to take note of "a breach of the basic principle of justice," supposedly referring to public comments made regarding the case.