The last survivor among four foreign nationals facing money laundering charges alongside the daughters of former EU Commissioner John Dalli has passed away.
Eloise Corbin Klein was said to be in very poor health at a previous hearing of the case in June, when Louisa Dalli and Claire Gauci Borda were back in court for another fruitless session which drew a strongly worded admonition by the presiding magistrate.
“It’s not fair for the accused, who are facing serious charges, to turn up and no proof is put forward by the prosecution, sitting after sitting,” Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo had remarked, as proceedings reached an impasse.
When the case resumed on Friday, the prosecution formally registered Corbin Klein’s death, explaining that the woman had passed away on Thursday and that a magisterial inquiry was currently underway to determine the cause of death.
Sources told Times of Malta that the elderly woman is believed to have died of heart failure.
The Dalli sisters were first charged in 2018 alongside Corbin Klein, Charles Ray Jackson, Elizabeth Jean Jackson and Robert Mitchell McIvor, who have all since passed away.
All six were charged with money laundering, fraud, misappropriation of funds, making a false declaration to a public authority and falsification of documents.
News of Corbin Klien’s death came just days after another judge in a separate case warned that prosecutors that their unnecessary delays could derail court cases.
“What is the prosecution waiting for… for all the other witnesses to also pass away, including Tarcisio Mifsud?” Mr Justice Francesco Depasquale asked, with reference to the accused in that case, Tarcisio Mifsud.
Mifsud was accused in 2013 in connection with the Enemalta oil procurement scandal.
Mr Justice Depasquale's observation in that case rang even more true in the light of the death announced in the Dalli sisters’ case.
Prosecuting inspector Hubert Cini, who recently took over as prosecutor after Inspector Yvonne Farrugia moved to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, on Friday presented the court with a list of witnesses to be summoned in due course.
Inspector Cini also presented a number of letters rogatory for the purpose of requesting the gathering of evidence by United States authorities.
Finally, the court also upheld a request by the defence lawyers, ordering the prosecution to produce a report which OLAF had sent to local police authorities.
That report had sparked off criminal investigations against Dalli’s daughters and was thus to be presented in evidence in line with rules of disclosure and in respect of the principle of equality of arms.
The case continues in September.
Lawyers Stefano Filletti and Stephen Tonna Lowell were defence counsel..
Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi was defence counsel to Corbin Klein.