‘Complete disorder’ at Francine Farrugia’s Siġġiewi stationery

A Siġġiewi stationery owned by former PN councillor Francine Farrugia is in “complete disorder” and impossible to run due to the accused’s lack of cooperation, a court-appointed administrator told a court on Wednesday.

Helga Buttigieg Debono, who had been tasked with administering the stationery after Farrugia was charged with fraud, told the court that she will be stepping down from the role and will refuse payment for the work she carried out.

She said she had been unable to perform her duties because Farrugia regularly ignored instructions despite a court-imposed freezing order.

Farrugia, who worked as an MCAST payroll official, turned up for only one of the weekly Thursday meetings that were meant to be held with the administrator. For all other appointments, she claimed she was unwell. Buttigieg Debono testified that the accused would make decisions about shop operations independently and only inform her afterwards, usually by email.

The administrator described walking into “a big mess” when she first took charge of the stationery. The small shop had four employees, which she considered far more than it could sustain. The pair were supposed to discuss redundancies, but Farrugia dismissed two workers on her own initiative. Those employees later confronted the administrator, saying Farrugia had never paid their income tax or social security contributions.

Financial irregularities also emerged. The stationery’s account initially held €6,000 but later increased to €13,000, with no explanation provided. MaltaPost, which operates a sub-post office inside the shop, informed the administrator that Farrugia owed the company more than €45,000. When confronted, Farrugia told her she had €25,000 hidden in a safe that had not been seized by police during searches.

Although Farrugia met a MaltaPost lawyer once, handing over €4,670, she missed three further appointments, again claiming illness.

Given the testimony, the court ordered police to review all documents exhibited in the sitting and investigate potential breaches of the freezing order. A new administrator has now been appointed to replace Buttigieg Debono.

Representatives from MTCA, the Malta Business Registry and Identità also testified during the hearing. The case will resume on the 9 December.

Attorney General lawyers Alessia Schembri and Michael Muscat appeared for the prosecution. Lawyer Amy Zahra assisted the accused. Lawyers Stefano Filletti and Thea Caesare appeared for MCAST, with Filletti is also appearing for the Ministry of Education as parte civile.