Whistleblower ready to testify that OPM knew about Gafà ‘visa racket’
Former OPM official demanded €650 each from 30 students, according to Arnold Cassola
The person who sent an email to the Office of the Prime Minister in 2015 warning that Neville Gafà was allegedly behind a racket that scammed 30 Libyan students seeking visas, is ready to testify in court, according to Momentum.
The claim first surfaced in 2024, when Momentum leader Arnold Cassola, then an independent politician, alleged that Libyan students were told by Gafà - then an official at the Office of the Prime Minister - to pay about €650 each for study visas when the normal fee was around €60.
He also said that a Labour Party official alerted Alex Muscat, then an official at the OPM, to the abuse.
On Monday, Momentum shared a screenshot of the email sent to Muscat, dated May 27, 2015, with the name of the sender redacted.
The email to Alex Muscat revealed by Momentum.“Alex, I don't think it’s right that these people were promised a visa against payment of €650 each. I never expected we’d end up like this,” the sender wrote.
“Alex Muscat, today a Labour MP, was at that time Keith Schembri’s deputy at OPM. He was immediately informed of this request for “tangenti” but OPM did nothing about it,” Momentum said in a statement.
“Today, the person who informed OPM about Neville Gafà’s illegal and dirty behaviour is ready to testify”
Speaking to Times of Malta, Muscat said he “had no clue” what Cassola was trying to imply and accused him of “making noise”.
“Whenever someone informs me of serious allegations, I advise them to go to the police,” he said.
The resurfacing of the allegation against Gafà comes against the backdrop of a recent court ruling that he received illicit cash payments for Libyan medical visas that in many cases were never issued. This case is separate from the student visas allegation.
The case was filed by Khaled Ibrahim Ben Nasam, who sought to recoup €36,675 he claimed to have paid while acting as a middleman between Libyan and Maltese authorities to facilitate the issuing of medical visas for Libyan patients to be brought to Malta for treatment.
Malta and Libya began collaborating on such medical evacuations in 2011, as Libya erupted into civil war. The agreement was initially informal but developed into a more regulated framework following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2012.
The civil court refused a request to order Gafà to refund almost €40,000, saying it could not order a refund of money paid on the basis of an illegal agreement.