Persons convicted of sports-related offences should be banned from all sports venues and face harsher penalties, a magistrate said this morning when delivering judgment against a man accused of match-fixing.
Valletta resident Ronnie Mackay, 36, was jailed and fined for conspiracy and complicity in the bribery of players signed up with the under-21 Maltese national team.
Allegations first came to light in March 2016 when the Malta Football Association integrity officer alerted police that the match played by Malta's under-21 team against Montenegro had been rigged. It was also alleged that there had been an attempt at fixing another match still to be played against the Czech Republic.
Investigations led to the identification of one player, Seyble Zammit, who had allegedly approached players with bribes.
Following the arrest of Mr Zammit, who confessed to his wrongdoing but was spared criminal prosecution by turning whistleblower, the investigative trail pointed towards Ronnie Mackay as the alleged mastermind behind the match-fixing conspiracy.
In the course of criminal proceedings, the accused testified how his life had taken a negative turn when, after trouble with his girlfriend, he sought to drown his sorrows in gambling. This led him to financial ruin, running into debt with three banks and falling prey to several loan sharks.
In 2013, he had to serve 18 months in jail after he was convicted of match-fixing accusations. Upon his release from prison, his criminal record served as an obstacle to his job opportunities.
In a lengthy judgment, Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, while treading with caution in respect of the evidence given by the whistleblower, observed that Mr Mackay had refused to take up an offer to assist the police.
Instead of seizing this opportunity, he left the island as soon as he found out that Mr Zammit had been arrested. Rather than collaborate with the authorities, the accused attempted to mislead the court and divert the course of justice.
The court referred to a 1993 judgment confirmed on appeal in the case against Alex Azzopardi, where it had been declared that “this crime undermines Maltese sport and holds it back from achieving an acceptable level. The state had felt the need to impose harsh penalties for this offence. This offence must stop and the court sends a message that those who want to involve themselves in such nonsense cannot expect mercy”.
Fully upholding this line of reasoning, the court stressed the need to impose harsher punishments for such offences which undermined Malta's reputation in the world of sports and weakened opportunities for present and future players.
It ordered that the judgment be notified to the Police Commissioner and the secretary general of the MFA.
The court declared the accused guilty and condemned him to two years in jail, fined him €2,000 and ordered him to pay an additional €1,426 to cover court expenses.
The defence filed notice of appeal. Inspector Sean Scicluna prosecuted. Lawyer Giannella DeMarco was defence counsel.