Four Latvians plead guilty to fraud

Four Latvians have been given 15 days to return as much of the money they have defrauded as possible before Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera passes judgement on their actions.

Girts Lusitis, 21, Kristine Akmene, 20, Oskars Straume, 21, and Edgars Kozlovskis, 19 pleaded guilty to defrauding HSBC and Bank of Valletta and of having financed and formed part of a criminal organisation.

Police Inspector Ian Abdilla told the Court the police received information from a number of American banks that there were fraudulent transactions using counterfeit credit cards.

The police intercepted 100 transactions pertaining to the Oracle and the Hilton casinos and with the help of the casinos they identified eight people, including the four who were being arraigned.

Inspector Abdilla said one had since left the island and the police were not entirely sure of the whereabouts of the other three.

The police received a call from the Hilton casino yesterday afternoon and were told that the four who were being arraigned were there.

Asked by the magistrate how much the amounts involved were, the inspector said the exact amounts were unknown since the banks were still investigating. However, in a week, each of the accused had withdrawn between €5,000 and €10,000 in cash from the casinos using fake cards.

Inspector Abdilla said Mr Kozlovskis alone was found to be carrying 35 cards.

Legal aid lawyer Mark Busuttil said the accused – who were used and abused, cooperated with the police.

Inspector Abdilla agreed and said that had this been a drug case they would have been referred to as drug mules.

Dr Busuttil said the four Latvians were ready to pay back as much as they could of the money they withdrew.

The magistrate gave them 15 days to do so.