A volunteer, who does missionary work in Africa, has been charged with defrauding a creditor by obtaining the waiver of a hypothec and withdrawing the funds for himself.

Ian Camilleri, a 50-year old from Sliema, who declared that his work involved “serving as a missionary in Africa,” was investigated by the economic crimes squad who suspected that he had used fraudulent means to gain an amount over €5,000.

During Friday’s arraignment, prosecuting Inspector Rennie Stivala explained that the man had allegedly managed to obtain the waiver of a special hypothec on a property sold to a third party.

He had somehow faked the signature of the party in whose favour the hypothec had been registered, and had withdrawn and pocketed the funds.

The man pleaded not guilty to the fraud, having made a fraudulent gain and made a false declaration. He was also charged as a recidivist.

A request for bail by defence counsel Gianluca Caruana Curran was not objected to by the prosecution, who pointed out that the man had been granted police bail and had kept his appointment with the police when summoned.

The only headache for the prosecution was the fact that the man was likely to travel abroad, hence posing a real risk of absconding.

“The man has declared that he is a missionary and so wouldn’t be easily traceable in the African continent,” Inspector Stivala argued.

The request for bail was granted against a personal guarantee of €10,000, an order to sign the bail book twice a week and under strict orders to deposit his ID and passport in court.