€81,000 cash haul revealed in court in alleged loansharking operation
Money was found hidden in bedroom of one of six people accused of loansharking
Over €81,000 in cash was found in the bedroom of a woman accused of usury and money laundering, a court heard on Thursday.
Criminal proceedings continued on Thursday against Keith Pace, his sons Carlos and Cleaven, his partner Maria Grixti, and his parents Lawrence and Emanuela Pace. All stand accused of money laundering, while Keith Pace, Carlos Pace and Maria Grixti are also accused of usury, or loansharking.
A police official testified about the searches carried out at a garage and residence in Marsa connected to the investigation.
He said over €81,000 in cash was found in Grixti’s bedroom alone, with €27,000 found inside a Christmas tree box, €15,000 in a bedside cupboard and €19,000 in a black pouch.
A day later, police seized five vehicles from the garage. These included a blue Yamaha jetski, a BMW, a Mercedes, a Chevrolet Corvette and an Austin Mini.
Two other officers from the Financial Crimes Investigation Department testified about Keith Pace’s rental properties.
It appeared that Pace’s eldest daughter had tried to collect rent from a couple living in one of their properties despite a freezing order in place.
Police told the tenants to report to the police any future demands for rent.
An architect from the Planning Authority also testified with valuations on Pace’s four properties.
He said one of the garages was valued at €200,000 as it had been renovated to house luxury vehicles, while a house in the same area was valued at €375,000 because of a “high-level finish”.
During on-site inspections, the architect found several illegal animal structures in place, including parrot cages and space for a small horse on the roof.
The defence questioned how a horse could have gone up on the roof, but the architect said he was only interested in the structures that were built without proper permits.
Cleaven Pace’s lawyers filed a request for bail at the end of the sitting. They argued that there was no risk of evidence tampering at this stage and his involvement in the alleged crimes was “minimal”.
However, the prosecution objected, arguing that nothing has changed since the last bail request was rejected two weeks ago by the court.
Prosecutors also argued that there is still a risk of evidence tampering since some family members were not arrested.
The bail decree will be decided behind closed doors.
Inspector Lianne Bonello is leading the prosecution with lawyers Neville Galea and Michael Muscat from the attorney general’s office.
Defence lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit appeared for all six defendants. Lawrence Pace and Emanuela Pace were also assisted by lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri.
Magistrate Lara Lanfranco presided over the hearing.