A teacher who stands accused of providing third-country nationals fake rental agreements to acquire residency in Malta, tried to explain the exaggerated number of TCNs registered at one of his properties by claiming to investigators that he could not read or write well and was not so computer literate.

Harold Mamo also claimed that all his income was derived from private lessons and rents generated by several properties he owned.

That snippet of information emerged on Monday when the compilation of evidence kicked off against the 56-year old who was charged ten days ago over his alleged involvement in a racket wherein he provided TCNs with fake addresses and “highly likely forged rental agreements” enabling them to apply for a residence permit.

Police first got a whiff of some underhand criminal activity through a Facebook post by former MP Jason Azzopardi who said that a woman had told him about a strange discovery at the Msida residence where her mother used to live.

She had come across a black mailbox affixed to the house façade. Inside it she found a number of documents from Identità addressed to third country nationals who were supposed to live there.

The woman had also filed a report at Sliema police station.

That information triggered investigations by the Immigration police, explained Inspector Karl Roberts who testified on Monday about how he pieced together evidence leading up to Mamo’s arrest.

He started off by speaking to the woman who had filed that report.

The correspondence she found in that mailbox consisted of letters sent by Identita’ for the addressees to collect their residence permits.

A compliance officer at Identità's Msida offices told her that there were four TCNs registered at that address.

Over one hundred TCNs were registered at another address at The Strand. That property belonged to Mamo.

When questioned by a compliance officer at Identità about all those persons registered at the same address, Mamo said, “I don’t know how to read and write much, nor to use the computer.”

Identita’ subsequently tracked down another property at Siġġiewi where many TCNs were likewise registered.

They summoned the property owner. His son, Anthony Attard, turned up at Identità with Mamo.

Attard subsequently told police that he had simply “done Mamo a favour.”

He said he used to visit Mamo’s barber shop at Guardamangia. Mamo had tasked him to do some ‘work,’ which consisted in fixing mailboxes at a number of properties at Msida and other locations.

The favour was “to register TCNs at [Attard]’s parents’ residence at Siġġiewi.”

Attard was also charged and was handed a suspended sentence upon admission.

One of the twenty or so TCNs questioned by the police, a Pakistani national, said that he had contacted a property rental agency he came across on Facebook. The person he contacted put him in touch with Mamo.

The Pakistani man did not want a residence but simply an address.

That third party from the rental agency was also criminally charged and handed a probation term.

Each of the TCNs said that they got a lease agreement from Mamo who promised them a bed space “but they got nothing.”

All identified Mamo when shown a photo and all said that they spoke to him at the barber shop.

When police searched those premises, they seized €8,940 in cash and a “sheaf of rental agreements” as well as a substantial number of notifications sent by Identita’ to TCNs and utility bills.

However, the majority of rent agreements named third parties rather than Mamo as lessors, indicating that those documents were “likely forged,” explained Roberts.

FCID inspector Tonjoe Farrugia also testified that between 2019 and 2023, Mamo had declared tens of thousands of euros in rents he received on his properties.

In 2023 alone, there were 540 rental agreements all registered with the Housing Authority for varying duration, some also short lets.

Mamo insisted that he “lived alone” and led “a normal life” getting by on private tuition fees and rents.

He said that his accountant handled his tax returns.

Mamo said that his lessees “had no high expectations. They only wanted water, electricity and a bed.”

When Mamo’s lawyer exited the FCID interrogation room, the suspect had asked police, “how much can the fine be for such a case? Could I get away with a fine?”

“Mamo insisted that others had done much worse than him,”[haddiehor ghamel hafna aghar minnu], Farrugia told the court. 

The accused’s lawyers made submissions on bail. The issue will be decided after the next sitting when the prosecution is expected to produce the TCNs and other civilian witnesses. 

AG lawyers Andrea Zammit and Manuel Grech prosecuted together with inspectors Farrugia and Roberts.

Lawyers Jose’ Herrera, Anita Giordmaina and Martina Herrera are defence counsel.