Suspected loan shark's mother had 16 cars in her name but no licence

The 73-year-old mother of a man suspected of being a loan shark had 16 cars registered in her name, a court has heard. 

Criminal proceedings continued Tuesday against 45-year-old Keith Pace; his sons Carlos, 24, and Cleaven, 20, his partner, 49-year-old Maria Grixti, and his parents Lawrence and Emanuela Pace, both 73.

All stand accused of money laundering. Keith Pace, Carlos Pace and Grixti were also accused of usury, otherwise known as loansharking. Keith, Cleaven and Carlos Pace were also accused of breaching bail.

They deny the charges.

Police inspector Lianne Bonello said Keith Pace was no stranger to the courts, having been arraigned several times.

She explained he had several properties in his name and that there were reports he had been operating as a loan shark and had changed locks to residences which did not belong to him.

Pace has seven children registered to his name, with the possibility that there are other children who are not. Grixti has six children, three of whom she shares with Pace.

10 properties

The suspected loan shark has 10 properties under his control and has received around €53,000 in social benefits over 10 years before registering as self-employed in 2025.

The police inspector listed the different properties in Pace’s name before telling the court that last year, some €109,000 was paid into his Revolut account, while €105,000 was transferred out.

The police inspector said Grixti had not worked since 2003 and has been receiving social benefits since 1998. Her bank account activity showed her expenses were on “lifestyle” choices, including purchases from online stores Temu and AliExpress, among others.

Keith Pace's father was only registered for employment for six years of his life and had been on social benefits since 2008. He received €52,000 in cheque and cash deposits in addition to the social security payments in the decade leading up to last year. A Jaguar X-Type vehicle was registered in his name in 2022. 

Bonello said police found 16 vehicles, including a Chevrolet, registered in the mother’s name, despite her having never held a licence. The woman was never registered as employed and never held bank accounts.

In 2018, Lawrence and Emmanuela Pace redeemed the ground rent of a property on Triq is-Santissima Trinita in Marsa, while Keith Pace applied for a development permit on the same property.

Carlos Pace was found to have held a job between 2018 and 2021, receiving €42,000 in salaries. However, there were over €50,000 in deposits. According to the searches, Pace bought a garage for €65,000, paying €30,000 by cheque, but no trace remains of how the rest of the money was paid. The man has three children.

On Cleaven Pace, Bonello said he has nothing to his name. The man never worked in his life, nor held a bank account.

Vehicle purchases

Following the family’s arrests, the police found Keith Pace’s Isuzu D-Max parked outside his house. They also found a Volkswagen Golf, which had been taken away by Pace from another woman, and a Mercedes-Benz registered to him. 

The Chevrolet Corvette was found inside a garage on Triq Isouard in Marsa, while a jet ski was found inside a garage on Triq Stiefnu Zerafa in Marsa. 

The police found several documents, including several contracts which were not filed with the public registry and contained handwritten notes indicating money being lent to third parties, signed by the borrower.

The police also found two capuchin monkeys in the kitchen. Meanwhile, on the roof, they found 11 chihuahuas, eight parrots, a Shetland pony and lovebirds, among other animals.

They also found money in packs of €500 hidden inside the sofa.

Bonello explained that the roofs of the property belonging to the elderly parents and to the one where Keith Pace lived with his family were continuous.

The accused did not provide a pin for the safety deposit boxes seized from the residence, which were opened by a court-appointed expert.

Bonello presented several items seized during the searches, including valuable antiques and jewellery.

‘A good person’

A woman testified that she sought financial assistance from Keith Pace after her roof collapsed, describing the accused as “a good person” and saying that until then she had no issues with him. They went before a notary and drafted a contract in which the woman borrowed €5,000 from the accused and had to repay €700 a month.

However, when the court looked at the contract, it found the loan was for €9,750. Asked about the discrepancy, the woman could not answer, saying that Keith Pace had proposed that amount. The woman was asked whether she had been approached before testifying.

She explained that she had requested €10,000, and Pace agreed to give her €5,000, and the outstanding amount would be given later. She made seven payments of €700 from January last year. Later, she requested €1,000 to buy food.

The woman explained that on one occasion, Grixti called her concerning outstanding dues and allegedly told her that had she been someone else, they would have taken the property she put as collateral, to which Pace shouted, “You’re lying”.

'No logical explanation' for purchases

At the end of the sitting, the defence claimed that there was not enough evidence for the case to proceed against Cleaven Pace and Emmanuela Pace. In Cleaven Pace’s case, it was argued that he was not mentioned by the witnesses, and none of the alleged victims recognised him. 

Defence lawyer Marion Camilleri strongly argued that in her client’s case, “no evidence was brought forward to show that he [Cleaven Pace] has a case to answer.” 

Fellow defence lawyer Adreana Zammit argued that Cleaven Pace resided in the same house as his parents, and other children were living there who were not arraigned. She argued that items found in the house did not necessarily belong to the accused. 

The prosecution countered that Cleaven Pace was being accused of money laundering, not usury. It was pointed out that the accused was renting out premises without a valid title and had no employment.

“There is no logical explanation as to how he bought the residence in question,” prosecutor Michael Muscat said. 

Proceeds of crime

The defence also contested prima facie for Emmanuela Pace, with defence lawyer Jacob Magri insisting his client had said in her statement she did not know how the cars were registered to her. He insisted that the prosecution had to show she knew that the vehicles were the result of the proceeds of crime. 

The prosecutor countered that the woman knew the Chevrolet Corvette belonged to Keith Pace, and, as his mother, she should have known that her son had a colourful criminal record, and all indications pointed to the fact that the car was derived from proceeds of crime. 

The court rejected the defence’s requests and ruled that all six accused had a case to answer. 

Bail was requested once again for Keith Pace, Carlos Pace, Cleaven Pace and Maria Grixti. The court is set to rule on the request from its chambers. 

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco presided. 

AG lawyers Neville Galea and Michael Muscat prosecuted, assisted by police inspector Lianne Bonello.  

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.