Serial fraudster jailed

The accused is involved in several other proceedings, including another fraud case

A 28-year-old woman from Xemxija has been sentenced to seven months in prison after she admitted to fraudulently leasing a flat that did not belong to her.

Annabelle Camilleri Monreal was charged with defrauding Englishman John Palmer out of the sum of €1000. Palmer had paid the woman €600 as a deposit and €400 as one month’s rent in advance for a luxurious St. Paul’s bay apartment.

Camilleri Monreal had, in fact, previously rented the property herself, during which time she had made copies of the keys. The keys were used to gain access to the apartment and show Palmer around.

This was not the woman’s first brush with the law. She is facing several other proceedings, including one for defrauding persons who had paid to rent a farmhouse in Gozo that they then discovered did not exist.

The woman is also involved in a separate case where she is alleged to have convinced a company to pay her €3000 to ensure that it was awarded a tender by the Zurrieq local council. During court proceedings, it emerged that the tender had never existed.

When asked to enter a plea, the woman broke down in tears telling the court that she didn’t know what was the best course of action to take, as she was pregnant. She eventually decided to plead guilty.

The court noted that irrespective of her having refunded the money, Camilleri Monreal's actions had breached her previous bail conditions and remanded her in custody.

In sentencing her, the court acknowledged the fact that Camilleri Monreal had refunded the money, however it also noted that she was already in breach of bail conditions for another offence.