Extradited man denies fraud claim

A man who was extradited from the UK to Malta has denied defrauding two brothers of €25,000 after allegedly deceiving them with a business proposal. Appearing before Magistrate Antonio Mizzi yesterday charged with fraud, George Sammut, 50, from Qormi, was brought to Malta on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant. The court heard he has been living in London for the past eight years. Before leaving Malta, he allegedly deceived Alex and Ray Sammut into giving him money to start a business. He has been in contact with the brothers, promising to repay them, but the money was never sent, which prompted the two men to file a police report against him four years ago. The European Arrest Warrant had been pending for one-and-a-half years until UK police located him. He consented to being brought to Malta to face the charges against him, his lawyers told the court. He was granted bail against a deposit of €2,000 and a personal guarantee of €20,000. Police Inspector Maurice Curmi prosecuted while lawyers Michael Schiriha and Franco Galea appeared for the accused.