Maltese gaming executive charged with stealing $1 million in customer funds
The director of a Maltese gambling operator has been brought before a judge after he allegedly withheld funds from a customer's account. Despite the best efforts of Andrew Martin Jones' legal team, he has been charged in the case and his assets have been frozen, The Times of Malta reports.
The charges against Jones, a British citizen, cover a range of serious offences, including corruption, fraudulently obtaining funds, engaging in other fraudulent conduct, accounting offenses and money laundering. Despite evidence to the contrary, he pleaded not guilty.
There are many gaps in the background of the case, including the time of the theft and the name of the gambling company. However, according to previous investigations, Jones allegedly stole at least $1 million.
Refund means no guilt
Several years ago, an unknown customer filed a criminal complaint accusing a gambling operator of stealing her money. As part of the subsequent investigation, a comprehensive review of financial transactions led to the charges against Jones.
This leads to a court date this week. Janela DeMarco and Charles Mercica, who are representing Jones, attempted to use dubious defenses to protect their client from an asset freezing order.
They disputed the need for the freeze, claiming the "outstanding balance" - 910,000 euros ($980,343) - had already been paid. Essentially, their defense does no harm and no fouls. They added that the complainant eventually withdrew his initial complaint and used it as evidence that a resolution to the conflict had been agreed upon.
Although presiding judge Yana Micallef Stafrace awarded compensation and the lawsuit was dismissed, she approved the asset freeze, although Jones will not go to jail for the time being. He has been freed on bail of 25,000 euros ($26,932).
Jones will also be required to appear in person every week until his next court appearance to sign a "bail bond." This is a register that most police stations have and is designed to prevent people from escaping justice while on bail.
While much of the case remains a mystery, there is some outside data that sheds light on Jones. According to Offshore Leaks and its database, he is listed as a director of Plus 5 Gaming and listed with Paradise Papers, MIGS Limited and Aliquantum Gaming Ltd.
Since then, however, chaos has arisen. None of these company names appear on the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) list of licensees. A search for the license number assigned to the entity was also unsuccessful. The MGA did not respond to an email request for clarification.
Malta’s gaming ecosystem is in the spotlight
Malta has long been a major center for gambling operations, but it may have grown too quickly. The scandal involving corruption, bribery and "other crimes" is widespread and reaches even the highest levels of government.
In another ongoing case, alleged "gaming consultant" Iosif Galea was recently released on bail after being charged with serious charges of corruption, financial crimes and misuse of electronic devices. The charges are related to a high-profile case involving MGA's former chief technology officer (CTO) Jason Farrugia. Even after being fired, Farrugia was believed to have had access to classified documents that were beyond his authority.
As a result, Farrugia was suspended and his business accounts were effectively blocked, leading authorities to intervene. The investigation also revealed alleged links to Galea.
Farrugia held a series of conversations with Gallia, a former MGA employee. The two were in talks to form a new business partnership, and Gallia allegedly transferred large amounts of money to Farrugia and his spouse.
Galea was recently deported to Malta from Germany after serving jail time for tax evasion. He has now appeared in a Maltese court and has been released on bail.
Jones only needs to appear in court once a week to sign bail, but Galea must appear in court three times a week. He must also provide a guarantee of €15,000 ($16.159).
Galea is expected to return to court in September to continue the case.
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