Two Mellieħa farmers who defrauded the government by falsely claiming subsidies on 'locally produced tomatoes' which had  actually been imported from Sicily were given a suspended sentence today.

While the amount of subsidies is believed to have been as low as €100, the exact figure is unknown.

The alarm was raised in November 2003 when two tonnes of imported tomatoes were found at Ta’ Qali market (Pitkali), where imported products are banned. At the time local producers were eligible for EU-funded government subsidies on local produce.

Subsequently Joseph Attard, 55,  who was a full-time farmer, and his business partner, Joseph Galea, 56, were arraigned and accused of fraud.

During the course of the investigation, the police inspected Mr Galea’s fields where it transpired that the tomatoes in his greenhouse were still green. In addition a number of wooden crates containing tomatoes from an Italian supplier were found at Mr Galea’s garage. Some of the boxes were empty. 

In its judgment the court, noted that from the expert’s report it was clear that the tomatoes had been imported, probably from Sicily and later mixed with local produce.

Both men were found guilty of fraud and making a false declaration. Due to the fact that they were not first-time offenders the court said that a jail term would have been the right punishment. However, due to the fact that the fraud involved small amounts of money and had happened a decade ago, it opted for a 12-month jail term suspended for three years for each of them.