An individual paid €7,000 for a fraudulent residence permit after the price was negotiated from its original €12,000, a court heard on Wednesday.

The individual, a Moroccan man, was one of the witnesses to take the stand in the compilation of evidence against former Identità employee Maria Rita Spiteri and car dealer Bernard Attard. They stand accused of money laundering, human trafficking, fraud and forgery involving stolen identities from the government's identity agency Identità.

During the arraignment last week, the court was told that the case stems from a 2023 police investigation of third-country nationals who obtained fraudulent residence documents. Five persons had been arrested and they all told the police that Attard and Spiteri played a role in providing them with false documents, with Attard being responsible for collecting their money.

Testifying before Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, Hasan Qasba, who has lived in Malta for over nine years, on Wednesday recounted how he heard about Attard in 2021, when his barber told him he could introduce him to someone who could get him an ID card. He eventually met Attard.

“First he asked me for €12,000, and I told him it was too much,” Qasba said. They eventually agreed on €7,000, and he handed Attard €4,000 upfront.  He saved Attard’s phone contact as “Il-Malti tal-Permess.” 

Attard took him to the Identità offices and explained how a woman would “arrange” the documents for him.

Once at the offices, he met Spiteri, who confirmed she would arrange the documents for him. Two weeks later, he called at the offices again and Spiteri  told him Attard was in prison, but she would arrange for him to get his ID card.

Days later, he picked up his ID card.

When asked about the address on the ID card, he said Buġibba, but admitted that was not his address. 

Another witness, Ali Abdulsalam Bashir Tarhuni, said he was a Libyan refugee who came to Malta in 2019 from France and needed a passport.  

“I was scared, I was scared they would send me back to my country,” he said.

He recalled how he went to a barber shop and opened up about his fears with the people there.

“There they told me they knew someone who could sort out my situation.”

Attard’s number was passed on to him. They met in Sliema and Attard promised to help him, as long as he paid €8000. Tuhani told him that was too much, and it was whittled down to €6,000.

He was also asked to pay a deposit of €500.

The witness admitted that he was sceptical at the time, yet when he went to the Identità offices he thought that what he was doing was legitimate.

Once in the offices, he met Spiteri, who had handled his documents. He was handed his ID card, but his application for refugee status was refused, and he was sent back to France. 

Earlier during Wednesday's sitting, the court heard Inspector Lara Butters explain that investigations began at the end of 2023, when the police were informed about three Egyptians who had acquired residence permits and were allegedly married to UK citizens.

It was established that none of the Egyptians was actually married or in a relationship with UK citizens.

Two of the Egyptians were arrested, arraigned, jailed for six months and then deported to Egypt. The court case against the third is pending.

Butters said a thorough investigation of the Identità login system showed that the paperwork for the three Egyptians was handled by Spiteri through her username Spiterim250.  

During investigations, the three Egyptians admitted to having paid Attard for their residence permit and admitted to never marrying a UK national.

One of them admitted to having paid Attard €5,000.  

Bail requests denied  

The prosecution objected to requests for bail, citing concerns that the defendants may attempt to tamper with evidence, especially as UK nationals were yet to testify in the case. 

Defence lawyers argued that the accused were granted police bail following their arrest and evidence was never tampered with. 

Bail was denied.

Inspectors Andy Rotin, Keith Darmanin, Lara Butters and Christian Abela prosecuted with the help of AG lawyers Manuel Grech and Andrea Zammit.

Lawyers Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin assisted Spiteri.

Lawyers Jose Herrera and Matthew Xuereb assisted Attard.

The case continues on 26 February.