Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1465732
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 APRIL 2022 NEWS 16 MATTHEW AGIUS THE boss of the More Super- markets chain Ryan Schembri is expected to be arraigned today Sunday, after having been extra- dited from Scotland. Schembri had fled the country in 2014 with a reported €40 mil- lion in debts left behind from the More Supermarkets crash. He had initially moved to Du- bai, where he lived with partner Aviva Ryan. Legal sources told MaltaToday that it was initially impossible to extradite him from the UAE, due to the fact that there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. No charges were filed against him at that time. At some point after that, the couple subsequently moved to London, and later to Scotland, living under the radar. But the breakthrough in the case came when UK authori- ties had informed their Maltese counterparts that Schembri had been fined for speeding there. This had led to an investigation by the Maltese police which found evidence showing that Schembri resided in the Unit- ed Kingdom and had bank ac- counts, as well as a partner there. UK company records also show both Schembri and his partner Aviva Ryan opened two com- panies in London, Bors Trading and DAL Capital Partners. Schembri was arrested on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant that had been issued by Interpol some years back. Mal- tese police were present in Scot- land for the arrest. Schembri is expected to be ar- raigned on charges of fraud and money laundering. As boss of the bankrupt More supermarket chain, he could be connected to the supermarket debt that led to the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop. Chircop had been one of the 'investors' in the mysterious More Supermar- kets bust. The lawyer had loaned €750,000 to More Supermarkets in March 2014. Appearing as debtors in the contract were Schembri's busi- ness partner Etienne Cassar, as well as Adrian Agius, one of the men first arrested by police in December 2017 in connection with the assassination of Daph- ne Caruana Galizia. Together, Schembri and Cassar, and Agius, owned shares in another joint company called Interaa Hold- ings. Agius, known as 'tal-Maksar', was previously a director linked to the More Hamrun supermar- ket. Agius held a directorship in a company related to More's main shareholder Ryan Schem- bri, Interaa Holdings, with the shareholders being made up of Schembri's own Cassar & Schembri Marketing (40%), M&R Construction (15%) and Panelix Supplies (25%), and Agi- us's Imora Holdings (20%). Schembri's absconding from Malta in September 2014, took place soon after he had started procedures aimed at transfer- ring his supermarket business to a new investor, the restaurateur Darren Casha, who was then under the impression that the More Supermarkets chain was in excellent financial health. Lawyer Roberto Montalto is expected to be representing Schembri in court. Schembri could face fraud charges on More Supermarkets crash Ryan Schembri: the runaway boss of More Supermarkets could face charges of fraud and money laundering