Iosif Galea charged with money laundering, corruption after extradition from Germany

Gaming consultant Iosif Galea has been charged with several financial crimes, including money laundering and corruption after being extradited from Germany.

Galea was extradited to Malta from Germany after completing a prison sentence there over tax evasion. He had been arrested in Italy last year on the strength of a German arrest warrant while holidaying with his partner and former prime minister Joseph Muscat and wife Michelle.

As director of Tipbet Limited, Galea was found guilty in Frankfurt of evading €1.7 million in taxes over between 2017 and 2019, which were owed to the German state. Tipbet is owned by a Turkish national but is registered as a Maltese company.

Although Malta issued an arrest warrant for him in May of 2022, he first faced investigators in Germany over separate charges. 

The consultant had been granted police bail in Malta to take leave for his short holiday. He was being investigated in connection with trading in influence charges against a top Malta Gaming Authority official.

But police failed to carry out relevant checks on Galea before granting him discretionary leave: it turns out that he had been the subject of a German-issued European Arrest Warrant.

In a Maltese court on Thursday, Galea pleaded not guilty to a raft of charges, including money laundering, corruption, trading in influence and other financial crimes. He was remanded in custody.

Galea appeared in front of Magistrate Noel Bartolo. Attorney General lawyer Francesco Refalo prosecuted together with Inspectors Marcus Cachia and Brian Paul Camilleri. Lawyer Edward Gatt appeared for Galea.