The widow of the late notary Ivan Barbara has initiated legal proceedings against a woman for writing disparaging comments about her on a Facebook group.

The woman, a mother of four, accused Rosanne Barbara Zarb of being a thief and opined that she should see the inside of a jail cell, in comments she made on a Facebook group for former clients of the late notary.

Barbara Zarb is the subject of a lawsuit instituted by 23 of her husband’s former clients, who collectively have some €165,000, related to deposits for promise of sale property agreements, tied up in the deceased notary’s accounts.

Speaking to Times of Malta, the woman, who asked not to be named, said that the initial court costs, as well as the potential of having to pay thousands of euros should she receive an unfavourable judgment, would be an enormous financial strain on her and her family.

“I admit that I wrote comments about her and I did not use pleasant language,” she said.

“However, I did not threaten her and my anger stems from how much compassion I feel for these people who have had their life’s work and their dream of owning a home snatched away from them.”

As she works a minimum wage job, she said that she understood the hardship of working to make ends meet as well as save up for the future.

“Saving up for a deposit is no joke; how long will it take for them to do it again until this matter is resolved in court, which could take years? In the meantime, they have to put off their life plans, including starting their own families.

“Thankfully, I am okay, I am done with that part of my life, but if it had happened to my own children, I don’t know what I would do or how I could possibly help them out of it.”

In the meantime, the Facebook group has since managed to crowdfund the €300 in initial court fees for the woman and secured a lawyer who agreed to represent her pro bono.

My anger stems from how much compassion I feel for these people who have had their life’s work and their dream of owning a home snatched away from them

Ivan Barbara died of COVID in April 2021 while on a trip to India with his wife to finalise the adoption of a child.

Then, 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.