Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546553
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 SEPTEMBER 2026 NEWS Tenants accuse Tristan B of scamming them out of €11,000 in rental deposits EMANUEL Balzan, also known as Tristan B, allegedly scammed third-country nationals out of rental deposits with the case coming to light after Balzan's latest arraignment. Balzan was arraigned in court on Thursday and charged with money laundering, fraud, mis- appropriation and forgery. The charges follow his release from prison after having been found guilty of similar fraud charges in the past. MaltaToday is informed that following media coverage of Balzan's arraignment, a land- lord who rented an apartment to Balzan found two tenants he was not aware of living in the flat. It turned out that Balzan had sublet the property without the landlord's knowledge. Speaking to MaltaToday, one tenant, who ended up home- less, said that he had lived with Balzan for around a month be- fore moving into the new apart- ment. The tenant said he and an- other man paid €11,000 for two years' rent up front between them. Balzan allegedly asked for some of the funds to be handed to him in cash. After Balzan was remanded in custody following his latest court case, he allegedly called the tenant from prison and asked him for more money, which he wanted handed to him in prison. The tenant was then treated to another surprise when the property's owner turned up and insisted they get out or face de- portation. Tenant union Solidarjeta stepped in and requested the landlord empathise with the tenant. However, the landlord said he simply didn't want the pair in his flat. Speaking to MaltaToday, the landlord claimed he gave the tenants €200 and told them to find another place to live, before reporting what had happened to the police. Meanwhile, the TCNs have appealed to the authorities to give them the necessary leeway to find their feet as they search for a new house. Balzan's latest brush with the law saw police charge him with several instances of fraud. In one case, a company allegedly gave Balzan €50,000 in sponsor- ship after he told them a concert was being lined up. The concert never took place. To reassure victims and secure their sponsorship, Balzan alleg- edly produced forged receipts purporting to come from enter- tainment, advertising firms, soft drink companies and venues. The documents allegedly bore the names of Bay Radio Break- fast, Magic Radio Breakfast, Nexos Lighting and Video and the Catholic Institute, as well as singers including Ira Losco, Gianluca Bezzina, Mary Spiteri, Mike Spiteri, Catherine Vigar and Moira Stafrace. The court heard that Balzan had worked with halfway house Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl while serving his prison sentence. Af- ter his release, he was allowed to continue helping organise events, but was told he could no longer handle cash or enter into contracts on the organisation's behalf. Investigators allege he never- theless drew on his association with Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl to bolster his credibility. Companies falling short MOST of the large organisa- tions examined in a new study failed to meet Malta's legal quota for employing people with disabilities. Instead, com- panies are opting to pay fines. The finding emerged from a study of diversity, equality and inclusion practices in 10 large organisations operating in Malta, which found a sig- nificant gap between formal commitment to inclusion and what happens in practice. Under Maltese law, compa- nies employing 20 or more people are required to ensure that at least 2% of their work- force comprises of persons with disabilities. But the study, published by researchers Anna Marie Thake and JosAnn Cutajar, found that most of the organisations studied did not meet the re- quirement and instead paid the applicable fines. The researchers said this il- lustrated the gap between for- mal compliance and meaning- ful inclusion in the workplace. The study examined five Maltese-owned firms and five companies belonging to mul- tinational groups, all employ- ing more than 400 people. The companies represented several sectors including insurance, construction, transport and warehousing, food and bever- age, pharmaceuticals, energy, telecommunications, financial services and gambling. The researchers caution that the findings are based on a qualitative study of 10 large organisations and should not be taken as representative of every company in Malta. Disability inclusion remains a challenge Disability emerged as one of the main diversity issues iden- tified by HR interviewed for the research. In several of the organisa- tions, the approach to disabil- ity was primarily driven by the legal requirement rather than by a broader effort to recruit, accommodate and develop workers with disabilities. The study also identified practical barriers that can make compliance and inclu- sion more complicated. Some HR mangers told re- searchers that employees with disabilities were working within their organisation but were not registered with the National Commission for Per- sons with Disability, making it more difficult for companies to establish whether they were meeting the legal quote. In another case, a for- eign-owned company's use of psychometric recruitment testing was found to uninten- tionally exclude candidates with intellectual disabilities. The researchers said such ex- amples highlighted the differ- ence between having a formal commitment to equality and removing the structural bar- riers that prevent people from accessing employment. 'Compliance' is not the same as inclusion The researchers framed the issue as part of a wider tension between compliance and gen- uine transformation. The paper argued compa- nies can have diversity pol- icies, equality certifications and formal producers in place while still failing to change the structures and practices that produce equal outcomes, the study argues. This is particularly evident in disability employment, where paying a fine can allow an or- ganisation to satisfy the law without necessarily changing its recruitment practices. The study said that HR de- partments have much a much bigger role to play than just ensuring companies comply with legislation. HR professionals are de- scribed as "institutional trans- lators" who must interpret European, international and Maltese equality standards and turn them into practices that work in the workplace. That can include chang- ing recruitment processes, adapting training, improving communication, involving leadership and creating more flexible approaches to employ- ees' needs. LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt Disability emerged as one of the main diversity issues identified by HR interviewed for the research The study examined five Maltese-owned firms and five companies belonging to multinational MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt