Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1498412
NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 3 MAY 2023 MATTHEW AGIUS AN FCID inspector has given a detailed account of how millions of euros from works carried out on behalf of 44 clients over a seven-year period were not de- clared to the authorities. Inspector Joseph Xerri testi- fied at length this morning, as the compilation of evidence against Martin Farrugia, 45, from Rabat and Henriette Cassar 49, who are accused of fraud and money laundering in connection with a €62 million VAT carousel, began before Magistrate Leonard Caruana. The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2012 and 2019 and involved NCCF, MAM Construction LTD and MWF Construction Ltd. Farrugia, who is registered as a builder and Cassar, a clerk working at Farrugia's compa- nies, are denying the charges. Inspector Xerri told the court that the police FCID had not- ed large discrepancies between what was being declared to the VAT department, amongst them an undeclared €27 mil- lion in sales from just one of the companies. Police had found a €2.8 million discrep- ancy with respect to another one of the companies' incomes that should have been subject to VAT, but was not declared. The Inspector told the court how a long list of other indi- viduals and companies were involved or affected by the al- leged fraud through payment for construction works and sales of machinery, during his testimony. Some of the indi- viduals and entities in question are still under investigation, the court was told. Lawyer Abigail Caruana Vella is prosecuting on behalf of the Office of the Attorney General, together with police Inspector Joseph Xerri. Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb represented Henriette Cassar, while law- yers Etienne Borg Ferrante and Dominic Micallef appeared on behalf of Martin Farrugia. Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Jacob Magri and Rebecca Mer- cieca are representing a group of alleged victims, as is lawyer Stefano Filletti. VAT carousel fraud: millions in construction revenue undeclared over seven years 11 luxury sportscars, as well as lions, pumas, leopards, zebras and alpacas kept at two rural properties belonging to Martin Farrugia PADS, panty liners and tam- pons set up at the University of Malta's Student House to help students fight menstrual pov- erty have been stolen, with the locker also suffering damage. In a post on social media, the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji (KSU) said that a "considerable amount of stock" had been sto- len over the weekend. "It is immensely disappointing to see an initiative targeted at accessibility and inclusion being abused," the KSU said on Tues- day. The KSU post featured imag- es of the orange locker located open wide and empty boxes in- side. The Period Locker, set up two months ago in the wom- en's bathroom was an initia- tive the council took with col- laboration with VJ Salamone. The locker was being supplied with a number of pads, tam- pons and liners, free of charge. The council confirmed that it is looking into CCTV foot- age of the area to see who broke into it, but for now, the locker itself will be relocated outside the KSU office "indef- initely." "This is far from ideal, as the aim behind this locker was to provide a service in a digni- fying and respectful manner. We hope to return the locker to its original location," the KSU said. Menstrual products stolen from University of Malta's Period Locker