Court berates estate agent who misappropriated €6,000 from his employer

A 25-year-old property agent has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to repay nearly €6,000 which he misappropriated from his employer.

Daniel Sapiano admitted to having hung on to €5,953 that he should have passed on to Frank Salt Real Estate in November 2015 and the preceding months.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, presiding, noted that a social worker's report on the case before sentencing had suggested that Sapiano would benefit from rehabilitation and a programme intended to help victims of usury.

The court said that Sapiano deserved to go to jail for “betraying the trust of the person who employed him and gave him his daily bread” but in view of the social worker's report, decided to hand down a suspended sentence instead.

Sapiano was handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for four, and placed under probation for two years.

“The court wants him to rebuild his life...This can only be achieved through hard work and not through laziness, theft or fraud. He must work like the rest of the honest citizenry does. He must repay his debt to the victim. He must also repay his debt to society by, after completing his drug rehabilitation programme, perform a number of hours of community work.”

The man was ordered to perform 100 hours of unpaid community work and was warned that failure to comply with his new path would end up with him in prison. Sapiano was also ordered to refund his employer with the €5,953 the he misappropriated.

Inspector Anna Marie Xuereb prosecuted.

Lawyer Geoffrey Vella was defence counsel.