Court hears of seized passports amid threats in prostitution trafficking case

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An alleged victim of human trafficking gave testimony in court on Monday as proceedings opened against Fabio Vespa, describing how she and two relatives were drawn into prostitution, forced to hand over their earnings and passports, and threatened after arriving in Malta in 2025.

Vespa had been arraigned earlier in February and pleaded not guilty to being an accomplice in the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation, as well as to using violence and coercion to force them into prostitution.

Woman resorted to prostitution while waiting for work permit

The first witness, a Colombian national whose name cannot be published by court order, testified via video call.

She explained she had been living in Malta since 2025, having arrived legally in search of work as a cleaner. While waiting for her documentation and work permits to be processed, she resorted to prostitution to earn a living.

While still in Colombia, she had worked as an online sex worker via webcam for a particular company. She said she decided to leave the country because she was not being paid well and because her mother and siblings depended financially on her.

Her sister made arrangements via text with a man named Damiano. Under cross-examination, the witness confirmed her sister had met him in Malta when he had been one of her clients.

She also confirmed her sister and Damiano were in a romantic relationship, replying in the affirmative when the defense described him as being obsessed with her sister to the point that he continued sending her money even after she returned to Colombia after being Malta for the first time.

Damiano was identified in court as Damiano Nicastro, who is accused of trafficking three Colombian nationals for sexual exploitation and of using violence and coercion to force them into prostitution.

Under cross-examination, the witness also stated that she had not known prostitution was illegal in Malta.

Accused identified as ‘Paolo’

According to the witness, when they arrived in Malta, a man known to them as 'Paolo' was placed in charge of operations, and this was when the situation began to deteriorate.

The witness became visibly emotional during her testimony and was initially reluctant to look toward the courtroom to confirm the accused’s identity. She eventually confirmed that Vespa was the man they had known as 'Paolo'.

Vespa had identified himself to the women as 'Paolo'.

On one occasion, while Damiano was on a video call, 'Paolo' allegedly identified himself as Damiano’s friend, rather than his boss. It later transpired that 'Paolo' was his boss.

Arrival in Malta and initial arrangements

The witness said she had initially believed Damiano had paid for their flights. 'Paolo' later told her that he himself had financed their travel.

She said she did not know the exact cost of the flights but believed each ticket cost around €1,500.

The women arrived in Malta on 1 February 2025.

Damiano and another individual whose name she could not recall met the three women at the airport and drove them to an apartment in Naxxar where they were expected to work as sex workers. 'Paolo' arrived later.

The women were required to pay rent for the Naxxar accommodation, amounting to €2,000 per month between them.

The witness said 'Paolo’s' male cousins also lived in the apartment for several days. She could not remember whether there were two or three of them. The apartment had three bedrooms, but on the first night the three women slept together in one room.

During the days the cousins stayed there, the atmosphere became tense, as the men appeared to expect sexual relations with the women. The women refused.

They remained in the apartment from their arrival in February until around March or April 2025, eventually leaving because they felt afraid.

Passports surrendered for alleged work permits

After about two weeks in Malta, the women created an online profile to look for work.

They celebrated the witness’ sister’s birthday on a particular date in February. The following day, they were told to hand over their passports to Damiano so he could arrange their work permits for their work as cleaners.

The witness said 'Paolo' had instructed them to do so.

At that point, she said, they realised the arrangemenat was suspicious and felt increasingly obliged to continue working in prostitution.

The magistrate questioned why they had waited two weeks to create their profile, given that they already knew prostitution would form part of their work in Malta.

The witness testified 'Paolo' told her she should have sex with him because he had paid for her flight. She said she did not feel physically forced, but felt obliged to comply.

She added she did not want to have sex without condoms, noting that none were available in the flat during the first two nights. She testified that 'Paolo' stayed in the apartment between 2 and 5 February, where they allegedly had sexual intercourse several times in the day.

She could not recall exactly how many times she had sexual relations with him but said she did so in order to pay off what she understood to be a debt for the flights.

The women were then made to work as escorts to pay this debt.

When they earned money, they were told it would go toward rent for the Naxxar apartment. The witness said they handed over all their earnings. If they resisted, they were threatened that they would never see their passports again.

She explained that when the women tried to speak directly with 'Paolo', he would redirect them to Damiano. She said threats were conveyed through Damiano, who regularly visited the apartment to collect money.

Three payments were made: one of €1,800, and another of an amount she could not recall, and a final one of €500 which was intended to secure the return of their passports.

Earnings and payments to the men

The witness said that she would typically see between one and three clients per day, earning roughly €150 daily. She added that she did not know how much the other women earned from their work.

Asked by the prosecuting lawyer whether there had been any agreement before travelling to Malta about who would collect the earnings, the witness said they had expected to pay a percentage, not the entire amount.

The witness said the women began working more intensely in order to raise money quickly and retrieve their passports. They started pooling their earnings because they no longer felt safe in the apartment.

She added that Damiano became extremely angry when they handed over the second payment and was on the verge of assaulting their aunt.

Women leave apartment amid fear

The witness said the women were terrified while living in the Naxxar apartment because the men had keys to the property. She said she was certain that Damiano had his own copy.

They feared they could be beaten or even killed, particularly because the men constantly sent threatening messages over WhatsApp.

After leaving Naxxar, the women moved to alternative accommodation in Sliema. They lived there for about a month, recruiting clients through the same page they used when they were in Naxxar.

The witness testified that 'Paolo' later told them they had “left in vain” and warned that he and Damiano would still find them. He allegedly threatened that he would track them down, even going to Colombia.

Attempts to recover withheld passports

The women continued trying to save money to recover their passports.

Initially, the men were demanding around €10,000 for the documents. The women gathered what they could, about €500, and arranged to meet Damiano in front of Zara in Sliema to hand over the cash.

The witness said Damiano did not count the money on the spot. He simply took it and left.

The witness said that, after these events, the women decided to go to the police.

Following their report, the authorities took them to a shelter where they were provided with protection and assistance.

She testified she has since received therapy and support from a social worker, adding that she still struggles with the language barrier when it comes to therapy.

Witness and defence clash over purpose of payments

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Roberto Montalto asked the witness to state the ages of the three women. She replied that her aunt is 25, her sister is 23, and that she herself is 24.

Asked whether she knew if her sister and aunt had ever previously provided sexual services in Colombia, she said her sister had worked as a webcam sex worker.

The defence suggested the women had travelled to Malta without clear arrangements. It noted they arrived in Malta not knowing how much they would earn or how long they would remain in the country.

The witness confirmed they arrived in Malta without any money and were under the impression that Damiano would initially be covering their expenses. She added that they were expected to provide sexual services in line with the initial agreement her sister had made with him.

The defence argued the amount of money paid by the women did not even begin to cover what had allegedly been spent by Fabio and Damiano on flight tickets and related costs. The witness replied that the money they were being asked to pay, around €10,000, was in exchange for the return of their passports, which she described as being held hostage.

At this point, Vespa, seated in the accused’s dock, began to smile and was immediately rebuked by the magistrate.

The defense stressed the money paid by the women was not earnings from prostitution, but was intended to cover rent and living expenses, since they had arrived in Malta without any funds.

The witness insisted the payments she made were not for expenses but to recover her passport. She added that the only personal debt she believed she had with 'Paolo' was about €500, which she said had been given to her to buy food.

The defense asked the witness whether she knew that the money Damiano was sending her sister were in fact Paolo’s. She confirmed that they got to know this when they went to Malta.

The case was presided over by Magistrate Donatello Frendo Dimech.

Lawyer Roberto Montalto represented the accused, while the prosecution was led by Lawyer Valentina Cassar, assisted by Inspectors Dorianne Tabone and John Spiteri.

Lawyers Lara Dimitrijevic and Stephanie Caruana appeared as parte civile.

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