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Matthew Vella
The Commissioner of Police has been ordered to proceed criminally against a woman from Bugibba married to a police officer, after the police initially refused to initiate criminal investigations when her former business partner reported her to the police for having defrauded him.
The woman, Rita Ciappara had asked Carmel Micallef, her business partner at Melway supermarket in Rabat, to appear in her stead as the recipient of a Lm10,000 loan from Jane Vassallo, who was lending Ciappara the sum.
Micallef told Magistrate Abigail Lofaro in court Ciappara wanted him to put his name down on the contract instead of her because she did not want to compromise her husband Richard Ciappara, who is a police officer.
Micallef accepted to appear as Vassallo’s debtor on condition that after signing the contract, Ciappara would sign another contract in which she declares she is the effective debtor by accepting the obligation to pay back Vassallo the Lm10,000.
Micallef told the Court the contract with Rita Ciappara was never done, saying he was not as concerned since he was aware that Ciappara was paying back the loan to her creditor.
Micallef however said that soon after the contract, he grew unhappy with Ciappara’s role in the management of their supermarket, claiming debts kept on accumulating. Ciappara stopped working at the supermarket.
At this point Micallef demanded that Ciappara sign the declaration showing her as the effective debtor to Vassallo, telling the Court his former business partner refused to sign the contract.
Micallef wrote to the police to institute criminal proceedings against Ciappara, claiming she had defrauded him. The police however informed Micallef there were “no sufficient reasons” to take action against Ciappara, and that all pending debts between the two were a civil matter.
Magistrate Abigail Lofaro declared Micallef’s police report had been justified in the first instance, and ordered the Commissioner of Police to proceed against Rita Ciappara.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
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