Alleged victim in prostitution case 'lied' to police, fearing her child would be taken away

The compilation of evidence against 26-year old Alexandru Onofrei continued today, with the defence telling the court that one of the girls he is alleged to have lured into prostitution was recorded admitting to lying to police.

Romanian-born Onofrei is charged with trafficking two of his countrywomen and forcing them to work as prostitutes.

Defence lawyer Giannella De Marco requested the court order the director of prisons or his representative to present a specific recording of a telephone call made to the accused.

She explained that the the phonecall is from Pilaf Anisoara to Onofrei, who was in prison at the time. De Marco told the court that the recording contains an admission by Anisoara to lying “out of fear of her child being taken from her”.

Onofrei is pleading not guilty to charges of trafficking a Romanian woman, Mariaca Daresco, forcing her and her friend, Anisoara, into prostitution, holding them against their will, living off the earnings of prostitution and running a brothel.

Inspector Antoine Cilia from the police Rapid Intervention Unit testified that he had investigated a report of a disturbance in Qormi. He went on site after his officers informed him that it was likely that the flat was being used for prostitution.

Police sergeant Wayne Borg testified that on the 7 September he arrived at a flat in Qormi shortly after the RIU. He saw four persons in the flat, three females and Onofrei. One woman claimed Onofrei lured her to Malta to start a family together but then he "put her photo up on an escort site”.

Joseph Attard, the owner of a Kappara flat used by Onofrei, testified that he had leased the property, which is situated next door to his home, to two Romanian girls via an agent, terminating the lease however, after just 15 days. He said he would see a lot of men go inside and leave after fifteen to twenty minutes. “My wife kicked them out”, he said.  

Magistrate Ian Farrugia asked him to describe what he heard or saw. “There was lots of movement after 8pm. One man would go in and after 15 to 20 minutes he would go out and another man would go in”.

He told the court that on numerous occasions, he would see the accused parking a white BMW and entering the flat.

Another man, Brian Sciberras, declared that he owned a maisonette in Qormi that he had rented out to Onofrei and another man through an estate agent in May 2014. A six-month contract was signed, he said, adding that the two men renting the maisonette had told him that their partners would be joining them.

Asked who would pay the rent, he testified that Onofrei paid the deposit and the first rent himself and that the other two payments were made by a woman.

Payments were always made in cash.

“On one occasion I received the payment in an envelope in my letterbox at home and the second time I met up with the woman in St. Julian’s. Both times she was alone.”

At the end of the six-month contract, another lease agreement was entered into, signed by Onofrei’s sister as Onofrei was in prison.

He described Onofrei as a good tenant. “I never had any problems, only once did he fall behind on his payments. The issue was resolved amicably after I told him that I would not accept these things and if it happens again he would be out. The rent was never late again, however a woman would deliver the payment”.

He recognised Onofrei in the court. “Onofrei was my main point of contact as the other person seemed to have a marginal connection to the situation.”

Freelance taxi driver Renato Tanti testified that earlier last summer, he had met Anisoara at a bus stop in Qawra when he offered his taxi service and gave her his card. He said he took her to Qormi.

He told the court how he drove them to Cirkewwa and the airport in summer, after which he never made contact with them again. “She didn’t seem scared or worried about anything,” he said. He claimed that the only conversation he had with her was through her daughter, who was acting as an interpreter. 

De Marco said she deplored the fact that, in spite of a request submitted in November by the defence, asking that the director of E-Cabs or his representative to be summoned to testify, no such witnesses had been notified or produced.

The lawyer explained that this witness is relevant to the defence because while accused was in Italy, the two women were using E-Cabs services to meet with the men.

The parties made submissions on the request for bail.

The prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that the Romanian authorities have contacted the Maltese police informing them that the accused is wanted in Romania for other crimes and “this fact made him a flight risk”.

De Marco explained that Onofrei was out on bail for another brush with the law in Romania. She had not been notified of him being wanted in Romania but surmised that one of the conditions may have been to sign every three months and he could not do so, having been arrested in Malta.

The lawyer said that the accused had never caused any problems to any of his neighbours and pointed out that the women were very free to come and go as they pleased.

After suspending the sitting for 20 minutes, the court acceded to the request for bail, against a €10,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €15,000. It further imposed the conditions that Onofrei is not to leave Malta or approach witnesses and that he must sign a bail book every day. He is also to observe a curfew.

The case will continue in January.