Thousands of euros withdrawn using fake credit cards

Four Latvians used counterfeit credit cards to withdraw thousands of euros from two casinos.

Police Inspector Ian Abdilla said in court yesterday that the three men and one woman were caught using the fake credit cards at the Hilton casino on Thursday after a number of American banks contacted the police about the transactions.

The four - Girts Lusitis, 21, Kristine Akmene, 20, Oskars Straume, 21, and Edgars Kozlovskis, 19 - pleaded guilty to defrauding HSBC and Bank of Valletta and of having financed and formed part of a criminal organisation.

They had each withdrawn amounts varying between €5,000 and €10,000 over a period of a week. Inspector Abdilla said Mr Kozlovskis was found to be carrying 35 counterfeit credit cards.

However, the full extent of their withdrawals was as yet unknown as the banks were still working it out, the inspector said.

The police intercepted 100 transactions pertaining to the Oracle and the Hilton casinos and with the help of the casinos they identified eight people involved in the transactions. Of these, only four were arraigned. Another suspect managed to leave the island and the other three have yet to be traced.

In submissions on bail, legal aid lawyer Mark Busuttil said the accused had been "used and abused" by other criminals. Inspector Abdilla agreed and said that had this been a drug case they would have been referred to as drug mules.

Dr Busuttil said his clients had cooperated with the police and were ready to pay back as much as they could of the money they had withdrawn.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera gave them 15 days to do so before handing down judgment.