Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507984
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 20 SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWS Two people collectively received €53,000 in disability benefits they were not eligible for CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The signature looked similar to hers and the Mater Dei letterhead seemed genuine, she said. "I keep records and I do not have this name," she added. The witness explained that she had searched the database using Spagnol's name and ID card but nothing came up. Gastroenterology specialist Valerie Anne Fenech testified next. The prosecutor asked the witness whether she recognised anyone in the courtroom. She did not. She was shown a case summary which had been signed using her medical reg- istration number, together with the name of another doctor, Raisa Said. Dr Fenech said she had no con- nection to the case in question, nor did she work with the consultant in charge at the time the certificate had been issued in 2016. The signature on the document was not hers, she said, but said it looked like an "R. Said." Inspector Tabone asked the court to appoint a calligraphy expert to "compare the alleged signature of Dr Raisa Said to the signature on another application in the same file, dated 21 November 2018 which had allegedly been signed by Dr Silvio J. Grixti." The aim of this request was to es- tablish whether the case summary signature had also been made by the same person who had signed the application in Grixti's name, he said, as well as to check whether it was Spagnol who had, in fact, signed them. Defence lawyer Alex Miruzzi consulted with his client, before in- forming the court that the signature on the document was that of the defendant, Spagnol, "to avoid the costs of appointing the calligraphy expert." The lawyer described the request concerning Dr Grixti as "problem- atic and strange," because Grixti was neither a defendant, nor a party to these proceedings. He suggested that Grixti be notified with this re- quest "in order to safeguard Grix- ti's rights, as this could incriminate him." But the prosecution, despite the defendant's admission that the sig- nature on the false document was hers, insisted on the appointment of an expert to establish whether she was telling the truth. Before adjourning the case to later this month, Magistrate Montebello announced that she would be issu- ing a decree on this request from chambers, after looking at the acts of the case. Second case In another sitting held today before the same magistrate, Aaron Carua- na, 35, from Tarxien, pleaded not guilty to charges of social security fraud. The Assistant Director at the De- partment of Social Security, Martin Buhagiar, told the court that Carua- na had applied for disability benefits using a certificate signed by Dr Silvio Grixti, which stated that Caruana suffered from epilepsy and other se- rious conditions. The man's application was then assessed by a medical board and subsequently upheld, entitling him to receive €104.58 per week in social benefits. There was a medical certificate is- sued by Grixti in the file, he said and a short case summary, also signed by Grixti. Another certificate exhibit- ed to the medical board in October 2019 purported to have been issued at Mater Dei Hospital by consultant neurologist Ruth Galea, he said. In view of these medical certifi- cates, the medical board had de- clared Caruana to be eligible for benefits. The man had received over €28,000 in benefits from October 2019 to date, he said. From the witness stand, Inspector Tabone explained that the police had received an email from lawyer Jason Azzopardi reporting a suspicion that people might be using false medical certificates to claim benefits. An investigation followed and one of the people arrested told the police that Grixti had issued them. The certificates turned out to be forged, using Dr Ruth Galea's med- ical registration number, he said. Galea had subsequently told the police that she did not know the defendant nor had she ever treated him. Caruana had subsequently offered to repay the fraudulently obtained benefits in instalments of €50 per month, but the Department of So- cial Security had rejected the offer as it was too small an amount, said the inspector. The Court decreed that there was sufficient prima facie evidence for the defendant to be indicted and sent the acts to the AG for a decision on how to proceed. Lawyer Maria Karlsson appeared as defence counsel to Caruana. The cases are thought to be two of many more involving Grixti, who is reported to have fraudulently pro- vided false medical documents to people, often residing in strongholds of the Labour Party, enabling them to receive social benefits for severe medical conditions which they did not suffer from. In recent weeks and months, the police had discreetly filed charges against a number of individuals who had benefited from this fraud. Several individuals implicated in the fraud had told police investiga- tors that they had been directed to speak to Grixti by various individ- uals, including a Labour minister, a now-deceased PL MP, ministers' aides, and even customer care offi- cials from the Prime Minister's of- fice. Information obtained by MaltaTo- day last Sunday showed that from the 160 cases of abuse flagged so far, a significant number were concen- trated in the localities of Tarxien, Żejtun and Birżebbuġa. MaltaToday also revealed that apart from Grixti, police also identi- fied a man from Żejtun with a long history of fraud as a person of inter- est in the ongoing investigation. Former Labour MP Silvio Grixti Grech admits closing down PN club after being denied entry during Hamrun feast MARIANNA CALLEJA OPPOSITION Leader Ber- nard Grech confirmed that the decision to close the Nationalist Party's club in Ħamrun was because the owner did not allow him entry during the St. Catejan feast. "We took the action to close it because the PN club should be accessible to everyone, especially the leader of the PN," Grech said on Tuesday. Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech was denied entry to the party's club dur- ing the Ħamrun feast in Au- gust. The incident resulted in party supporter Noel Mifsud Bonnici getting injured, with his wife claiming he was 'se- verely beaten' during the in- cident. In court, Noel Mifsud Bon- nici recounted that he was the fourth or fifth person to enter the club with Grech. "We encountered the bar- man, Manuel, who prevent- ed us from entering because we had Bernard Grech with us. He shouted at Grech, tell- ing him that he hadn't been there in two years... Grech left the club feeling humil- iated," Mifsud Bonnici ex- plained. Grech addressed the inci- dent for the first time since then, in an interview with the theme 'A Better Life for Our Country.' Responding to ONE News' Samuel Lucas' cheeky ques- tion, "How was the Ħamrun feast?" Grech immediately condemned all forms of vi- olence. "I condemn all forms of vi- olence, both verbal and even physical," Grech stated. Grech initially recounted his visit to the Ħamrun feast, describing it as an enjoyable opportunity to engage with people and celebrate the vi- brant local culture. However, he quickly shift- ed to a somber note, ex- pressing regret over the in- cident that occurred during the festivities. When asked by Lucas why he continued with his ac- tivities after learning that Mifsud Bonnici was injured, Grech explained how he rushed to Noel's side upon realising the gravity of the situation. He praised the paramed- ics for their swift response and expressed gratitude for Noel's dedication to both him and the country. "He told me he couldn't get up," Grech said, "and you still went to take pictures at the band club," Samuel Lu- cas interrupted. Brushing aside the ques- tion, Grech stated that his words would not have helped Noel at the time, but paramedics would. "I don't take selfies or en- gage in photo politics, like Robert Abela does," Grech asserted. Grech also denied that his presence at the feast may have incited the altercation, explaining that such inci- dents can occur in any social environment and should not be attributed to his political role.