A woman who is currently tied up in a lawsuit against the widow of late notary Ivan Barbara has said she was called in for questioning by the police after allegedly being reported by his widow, Rosanne Barbara Zarb. 

After the death of Barbara, who contracted COVID-19 in India and succumbed to the disease, a number of the late notary's former clients came forward to say they had lost access to thousands of euros in deposit money and fees that were tied up in pending property deals with the notary. 

Several of the victims have pursued legal action against Barbara Zarb in an attempt to recover their money. 

A woman named Janice, who asked for her last name not to be used, says she was called in for police questioning on Thursday evening, allegedly based on reports filed by Barbara Zarb against her. 

Janice told Times of Malta that police questioned her about a number of interactions she had had with Barbara Zarb in the months prior to the group collectively filing a lawsuit against her. 

“The police told me she reported me for phoning her parents at some point last year, which I had done while trying to contact her to find a solution to the situation at the time,” she said. 

“She also reported me for, on one occasion, knocking on her door, which is also true.” 

“I was trying to talk to her to find a solution to get back our deposits, hopefully without having to end up in court.”

“People talk to people, you know, I just wanted to resolve the matter.” 

Janice also said police had told her that Barbara Zarb had seen her in the road she lived on more than one occasion. This was because, Janice said, another woman who had lost her deposits with Barbara, happened to live in the same street and Janice had been to visit her a number of times. 

Additionally, police asked about the contents of a Facebook page that Janice is the administrator of, as well as a text message Janice had sent to Barbara Zarb, which the latter had allegedly found threatening. 

Janice said the message in question reads as follows: “Madam, I am going to do everything that the law permits to find my money, I have even contacted the media.”

“I don’t understand why she’s trying to come after me over a conversation that happened five months ago,” Janice said. 

“If she felt I had injured her in some way, why didn’t she just report me then and there?”

“After a full day's  work, which includes a part-time job I had to take on top of my full-time job to make up for the savings I lost, I had to go to the police station at 10pm.”

“I feel like I am being punished for trying to buy a house using a legal notary.” 

Times of Malta has reached out to the Malta Police Force and Rosanne Barbara Zarb for clarification. 

In October last year, Barbara’s former clients were granted a magisterial inquiry to look into the possibility that their money had been misappropriated or used fraudulently.

Barbara Zarb denied the accusations and appealed the decision, saying that the clients had made an “imaginary connection” that she and her husband carried out business together as a consequence of their marriage.

The clients say that a series of bank transfers, deposits and signed agreements prove that there was a business link between the two. 

In January, 23 of the late notary’s clients sued Barbara Zarb in a bid to recover some €165,000 in deposits and unpaid taxes related to property contracts.