A sixth player in a romance fraud, in which an elderly woman was swindled out of some €58,000, was remanded in custody upon his arraignment on Friday. 

Nigerian-born Tabi Ovi, 36, living at Swieqi and working as a taxi driver, was escorted to court and charged with having money-laundering linked to a scam through which the victim was lured into a virtual relationship with a US soldier stationed in Afghanistan. 

The man pleaded not guilty to money laundering as well as knowingly receiving property obtained through crime. 

The man’s lawyer, Rachel Tua, did not request bail at the arraignment stage. 

The court, presided over by magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo, issued an attachment order over all the accused’s monies and property, movable and immovable, except for an annual allowance of €13,976. 

The court ordered that the relative decree was to be published in the Government Gazette and instructed the Asset Recovery Bureau to carry out searches into the accused’s property, so as to draw up a list of assets accordingly. 

Four men and a woman were arraigned earlier in February over their alleged involvement in the fraud, and were charged with money laundering, theft and profiting from the proceeds of crime. 

Tony Ogbonna Anuforo, 34, Marvis Iyeke, 35, Collins Eguavoen, 29, former local footballer Sunday Eboh, 39 and 58-year-old Alexandra Pace all pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody. 

Pace was also separately charged with making false declarations and being a relapser while Eguavoen was also charged with breaching bail conditions in separate proceedings.

Police closed in on the alleged fraudsters following a months-long investigation by the Paola district police and the police's anti-money laundering unit.

Inspectors Sarah Zerafa and Claire Borg prosecuted, together with lawyers Abigail Caruana Vella, Sean Xerri De Caro and Karl Muscat from the Attorney General’s office.