Two companies suffer €15,000 fraud
A man who falsely told two companies that he had won a state tender to supply water heaters and then defrauded them of €15,000 was given a suspended jail term today.
Anthony Bezzina, 49 had in 2001, told Falzon Trading limited and Master Electric Co. Limited that he won a tender for the supply of water heaters that needed to be installed in schools and social housing estates. The tenders, he told them, had been issued by the Department of Education and the Housing Authority.
The two companies had supplied the goods on credit to Mr Bezzina but they never received payment for them except for a one off €466 paid to Master Electric Co. Limited.
Mr Bezzina had released a statement to the police in 2002 where he also insisted that he had won the tender. He had told the police that he would give them the necessary documents, but he never turned up.
Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said that it was evident that the companies had given such a large amount of stock to the accused because he had lied to them and as a result the companies had suffered losses.
After taking into consideration Mr Bezzina’s criminal record which showed it was not the first time he had broken the law the court still felt that the case did not merit a jail term and jailed him for two years suspended for four.
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8 Comments
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Joseph Schembri
Dec 20th 2008, 18:20
I am happy to note a comment from Mid Dlam Ghad Dawl - one of the very few NGOs that rightly helps non populist causes, doing what Jesus Christ himself would be doing were he here now. Please make your voice heard more. We need people like you.
Meanwhile we are still awaiting the white paper promised by Dr. Carm Mifsud Bonnici about prison reform. He had said it would be out in October (2008) !
John J. Mercieca
Dec 20th 2008, 13:12
A criminal's place is in jail. Lock them up and throw away the key. When will he merit a jail term? when he steals 50 million euros directly from the central bank?
George Busuttil
Dec 19th 2008, 07:56
Yes Mr Demartino, we are eagerly waiting for parole to be introduced in Malta because prison is failing us continually and it has been proven in many other countries that parole has reduced significantly the amount of recidivism.
George Busuttil
Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl
J Martinelli
Dec 18th 2008, 18:47
Another, 'Only in Malta!'
m attard
Dec 18th 2008, 18:39
What a waste of time and taxpayers' money. A suspended sentence is supposed to be a deterrent for future crime. But not in Malta! Here we just dish out more suspended sentences and / or meagre fines. No wonder some people never learn.
J.Spiteri
Dec 18th 2008, 18:18
How will the said companies get the 15,000 euros back??
Giov DeMartino
Dec 18th 2008, 17:45
Who invented the suspended sentence? And I think we shall soon see prisoners on parole!
Joe Scerri
Dec 18th 2008, 16:49
"After taking into consideration Mr Bezzina’s criminal record which showed it was not the first time he had broken the law the court still felt that the case did not merit a jail term"
Is this some kind of joke??????