The mastermind behind a mise-en-scene purposely created to swindle an IT dealer out of his funds has been jailed for a year and ordered to refund the victim of his scam.

Simon Spiteri, 54, was found guilty before a magistrate's court of having defrauded his victim out of some €10,000 upon a fake promise of a profitable business venture which in reality never materialised.

Criminal proceedings against Mr Spiteri were instituted following a complaint filed by Rodney Testa, the owner of an IT store whose suspicions had been aroused when all that he had been promised by his 'business partner' actually never took shape.

The court heard how the two men had originally struck up a friendship after being introduced by a third party. The accused had proposed a business deal whereby he would sell Mr Testa's IT wares in Tunisia. Mr Spiteri reassured his victim that he had the right contacts, even bragging about his acquaintance with ministers and high-ranking officials.

Tempted by these prospects, Mr Testa willingly handed over an advance payment of €10,000 as well as two laptops worth together some €1,000 which his partner was to use to lure potential customers.

This charade continued, with the unfortunate victim forking out money but never obtaining any material returns on his investments. Whenever he questioned Mr Spiteri about this, the latter would always summon some plausible excuse.

The only return Mr Testa ever received was a Rolex watch which was sold for €1,800.

The court, presided over by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, observed that the evidence put forward by the prosecution left no doubt as to the existence of the mise-en-scene tailored to swindle the victim out of his money.

An officer from the Passport Office had even testified that during the period relative to the scam, the accused had never set foot in Tunisia.

The accused, when testifying from the confines of his home, had claimed to be suffering from health problems and that he was going through a rough patch.

However, the court concluded that the accused was guilty of the fraud. The fraudster was also ordered to refund €7,100 within three years, as the balance owed to his victim.

The man had evidently laboured under the impression that "the accused was a trustworthy person with whom he had even struck up a friendship," the court concluded.

Inspector Maurice Curmi prosecuted.