George Degiorgio ex partner convicted of money laundering after reversal of acquittal

George Degiorgio’s ex partner Anca Adelina Pop has been convicted of money laundering after a court of appeal reversed her acquittal.

Pop was found guilty by a court of appeal that also confirmed guilty verdicts and jail sentences for George and Alfred Degiorgio, the brothers serving separate jail sentences of 40 years after admitting to assassinating journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. They are serving four years in jail for money laundering alone.

Pop had initially been acquitted of the charges but the Attorney General appealed, arguing that there was enough evidence to convict her. The Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Madam Justice Edwina Grima, agreed.

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The court revoked Pop’s acquittal and declared her guilty of money laundering, condemning her to an 18-month jail term suspended for two years as well as a €22,000 fine.

She was also ordered to pay one-third share of court expenses totalling €841.90, previously shared by the Degiorgios alone. All the woman’s property, both movable and immovable, was to be confiscated in favour of government.

The court noted that Pop owned luxury vehicles and had substantial deposits while ostensibly being unemployed, spending significant sums on clothes and shoes.

Between May 2013 and January 2018 she transferred €38,450.50 out of Malta, mainly to her mother, and received €22,000 from her partner, George.

Although Pop registered with Jobsplus as self-employed, she testified in 2021 that she had not worked for five or six years. She was not registered for tax purposes. A Corvette C7, an Audi Q7S and a Mercedes Benz were also registered in her name.

In terms of money laundering legislation it was sufficient for a person to be “suspected” of having property of criminal origin to be found guilty. The onus was therefore on Pop to prove that her assets came from legitimate sources.

Given that Pop lived with Degiorgio, who has an extensive criminal record, she must have suspected that her former partner’s wealth came from an illegitimate source, the court said, especially given that he never had a regular job and no other legitimate source of wealth.  

Pop claimed that her father supported her financially yet at the same time,but “conveniently” never mentioned that her partner gave her money, even when she was abroad.