Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/296073
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014 News 5 PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Charles Mangion elected in sixth district by-election MIRIAM DALLI FORMER Labour deputy party leader Charles Mangion has been re-elected to parliament in a casual election, taking 2,201 votes from Marie Louise Coleiro Preca's vote count on the sixth district. Mangion beat the 1,950 quota, seeing off nominations from former MP Gavin Gulia (currently Chairman of the Malta Tourism Au- thority), Emanuel Micallef and Simon Saliba. Having already inherited 352 votes from Coleiro Preca during the 2013 elections, Man- gion's victory did not come as a surprise. Mangion will also be resigning his post as chairman of state energy corporation Enemal- ta. The corporation's laws do not allow a mem- ber of parliament to sit on its board. "I will now submit my resignation to the min- ister and give a handover," Mangion confirmed with MaltaToday, adding that the deputy chair- man was already nominated to become the new chairman. Having been first elected to parliament in 1987 and successfully contested all elections until last year, Mangion is not new to parlia- ment. "Parliament always offers its challenges and, as the country's highest institution, it is the MP's duty to ensure that the mandate prom- ised by the government is implemented in the citizens' best interests," he said. Mangion served as the Labour Party's deputy leader between 2003 and 2008. Charles Mangion took 2,201 votes from Marie Louise Coleiro Preca's vote count on the sixth district Casino di Venezia ordered to pay €40,000 A Maltese court ordered the Casino di Venezia in Birgu to pay €40,000 in winnings to Alfredo Leardini, which amount had been kept by the Casino without a justified reason. In December 2006, Alfredo Lear- dini of San Marino travelled to Malta to try his luck at the Casino di Venezia in Birgu. Together with Giuseppe De Simone, he cashed €5,000 into fiches. The two start- ed playing at the roulette table at around 4pm and at around 3am, Leardini returned to the cashier to cash his winnings. In 12 hours, the San Marino gambler had earned back his original €5,000 and accu- mulated €40,000 in winnings. However, the cashier informed him that the Casino did not have enough cash, and had to pay him with a cheque. Leardini disagreed but accepted €5,000 and a cheque of €40,000 after a discussion with the Casino's CEO, Ferdinando Or- landi. The man returned to San Marino and deposited the cheque, which had 25 days to clear the bank. But some days later, the cheque was re- turned marked 'Payment Counter- manded – Stolen 20/12/06'. Surprised with the outcome, Leardini spoke to his lawyers. Or- landi claimed that the gambler had used fiches bought with stolen cash, and the case was subject to an international police investiga- tion. Orlandi pledged that should the winnings be deemed clear of any scam, Leardini would be paid. But after attempts to recoup the winnings failed, the lawyers insti- tuted civil proceedings against the Casino. Taking the witness stand, Orlandi alleged that the man was part of an organised crime ring involved in the purchasing of casino chips us- ing counterfeit bank drafts. "Mem- bers of the ring then play against each other, and while draining the money from other players, they themselves effectively never get out of pocket. A member's loss is an- other member's win, and the money remains in the group, together with profit," the witness said. However, investigating inspector Antonovich Muscat told the court that at the end of 2006, the police had investigated three men – Nevio Barut, Fabio Zulian and Gaetano Calamazza. When arrested in Mal- ta, over €450,000 worth of stolen and counterfeit traveller's cheques, were found in their possession. Slovenian national Nevio Barut admitted to the charges and served a three-year jail term. Gaetano Ca- lamazza passed away in the course of the proceedings and the case against Fabio Zulian is still ongo- ing. "However Alfredo Leardini was never part of the investigated men, and the Casino never filed a com- plaint against him with the police," the inspector explained. When officers prosecuted the three men, the court expert re- ported that when he went to col- lect the 680 video tapes from the casino's security cameras, he found that 101 of them had gone missing. Nevertheless, in the remaining 579 exhibited at court, experts recog- nised Leardini. The San Marino gambler was seen winning up to €12,597, but the rest of the evening could not be accounted for. The court, presided by Mr Justice Joseph Zammit McKeon, ruled that the Casino exhibited no proof that Leardini was involved in the scam. "The court cannot rule out that since CCTV footage showed him on a winning streak, he could have very well accumulated the claimed €40,000 in winnings – which amount the Casino never chal- lenged," the judge said. The court ordered the Casino di Venezia to pay Leardini the sum of €40,000, together with interest from July 2007 until date of pay- ment.