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Matthew Vella
Former Labour MP Sandro Schembri Adami will be tried in court after Magistrate Giovanni Grixti found sufficient evidence for the 41-year-old notary to be prosecuted for the misappropriation of stamp duty allegedly paid to him by clients on promise-of-sale agreements which were never registered.
Facing just one of the number of clients who have reported similar cases to the Economic Crimes Unit, Schembri Adami sat alone in an empty courtroom on Wednesday, as Filippo Mirabelle testified in front of Magistrate Grixti.
Unassisted by his lawyer, Schembri Adami sat in court once again with a book in hand, seemingly uninterested in the proceedings against him as he read throughout the entire sitting.
Schembri Adami has pleased not guilty to the misappropriation of Lm1,325 to the detriment of Alfio Mirabile, Filippo Mirabile and Nunzia Di Stefano.
The Mirabile family had paid Schembri Adami Lm350 to cover duty on documents after a promise of sale was drafted for the purchase of a Marsaskala apartment. A week later Mirabile paid the notary Lm970 to cover the remaining expenses. The cheque was cashed soon after on 21 December 2004.
However the family soon discovered from their lawyer that the promise of sale was never registered in the first place, and that the seller would not proceed with the sale of the apartment.
After Mirabile filed a report to the police, Schembri Adami paid him the money back but the charges could not be dropped.
Schembri Adami is also being arraigned on another case of misappropriation for the sum of Lm3,150 to the detriment of Raymond and Mary Grace Cachia. The Cachia couple paid Schembri Adami their stamp duty on documents and had proceeded with the contract only to be informed some time later by the bank that that the documents had not been filed in the public registry.
matthew@newsworksltd.com
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