One of some 50 victims of an alleged housing scam was lured into parting with nearly €20,000 in just five months by a woman promising government housing at a cheap price, court heard on Wednesday.
The man was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Sarah Ann Gatt, the suspected fraudster who allegedly siphoned hundreds of thousands of euros from her unsuspecting victims.
Although the number of victims at first stood at around 30, for a total amount close to €300,000, during a recent bail sitting before the Criminal Court, the prosecution said that the list had ballooned to 50, as more individuals stepped forward, claiming to have been defrauded.
Gatt, a 41-year-old self-employed St Venera cleaner who is pleading not guilty to fraud, misappropriation, falsification of documents and other related charges, remains in preventive custody.
One of her alleged victims testified this week about how he got to know of the accused through a close friend who told him that the woman had property to sell.
A call to the accused’s number soon set the ball rolling.
When the caller queried about the relatively cheap prices, the woman explained that the scheme involved properties which were seized by the authorities after the prospective buyers failed to pay.
Those properties were then offered for sale at a cheap price, she explained.
The witness told the court how between July and December of 2021, he had handed over payments to Gatt totalling €19,950.
Initially, he did not suspect anything was wrong.
But when the scheduled date for the property transfer was extended by three months and then again by a further three months and still the purchase did not materialise, the witness began to smell something fishy.
That was when he approached a lawyer for advice on the matter.
The witness also said that Gatt would always insist on cash payments, saying that that would speed up the process at the Housing Authority.
And she never issued a receipt, assuring the ‘buyer’ that all was in order and that all relative documentation was in the client’s file.
Asked by defence lawyer Marion Camilleri whether he had ever checked matters with the Housing Authority, the witness replied in the negative. At the end of that testimony the court, presided over by magistrate Astrid May Grima, deferred the case to October, prompting the defence to point out that the accused was still under arrest.
AG lawyer Andrea Zammit minuted that the prosecution had summoned another civilian witness for the day, in view of the latest bail decree delivered by the Criminal Court, presided over by Madam Justice Edwina Grima.
In terms of that decree, the prosecution was urged to summon all civilian witnesses during the next time-window in the compilation of evidence before the magistrates’ court, so that the accused’s request for bail might be reconsidered.
So far, the prosecution was objecting to bail not only because Gatt was deemed untrustworthy but also because of the fear of tampering with evidence, given the number of civilians still to testify at this very early stage of the proceedings.
In light of Madam Justice Grima’s decree, the prosecution had summoned two witnesses at this week’s hearing.
But given time constraints, only one managed to testify.
Magistrate Astrid May Grima minuted that although she had originally allocated 45 minutes for the hearing, the prosecution had only reserved 15 minutes.
The witness’s testimony had taken up a full 45 minutes, observed the court.
Inspectors Shaun Friggieri and Ritianne Gauci prosecuted, assisted by AG lawyer Andrea Zammit.Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri are defence counsel.Lawyer Charles Mercieca appeared parte civile.