Man charged with €20,000 fraud, bail denied

A 54-year-old Canadian man pleaded not guilty to fraud-related charges during a court appearance on Thursday.

The man, who resides in Żurrieq, appeared in front of Magistrate Donatello Frendo Dimech after being charged with carrying out fraudulent acts that allegedly resulted in financial losses of €20,000 to several individuals.

According to the charges presented in court, the alleged offences date back to August 2025 and possibly earlier, with prosecutors claiming the accused used fraudulent means, including deception and misrepresentation, to obtain financial gain to the detriment of several victims.

The accused, who was assisted by lawyer Rachel Tua, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the sitting, the defence requested that the accused be released on bail.The prosecution objected to the request, arguing that there are still witnesses who have yet to testify. Prosecutors also told the court that the accused had been sought by authorities for approximately a year and claimed he frequently changed his mobile phone number.

In response, the defence argued that the accused satisfies the legal requirements for bail, noting that he has a fixed address in Malta.

After hearing submissions from both sides, the court took the arguments into consideration and denied bail.

Prosecution was led by Italio Zammit.