Cleaven Pace gets bail in family's usury case

Cleaven Pace, 20, has been granted bail after being charged alongside five members of his family in connection with alleged usury and money laundering offences.

A deposit of €15,000 was requested.

Pace is facing criminal proceedings after police arrested him, his brother, mother, father and grandparents during raids carried out at residences in Triq Stiefnu Zerafa and Triq is-Santissima Trinità in Marsa.

During the searches, police allegedly discovered around €120,000 in cash concealed in various locations inside the properties, as well as a number of high-value exotic birds.

Pace is also facing separate charges in connection with the theft of 132kg of cannabis from the barracks of the Armed Forces of Malta. He had already been granted bail in relation to that case.

The court has now also granted him bail in the usury and money laundering proceedings, subject to several conditions.

These include signing a bail book twice daily at a police station, observing a curfew requiring him to remain at his residence between 8pm and 6:30am, depositing €15,000, and providing a personal guarantee of €35,000. A supervision order was also issued.

The prosecution was led by Inspector Lianne Bonello together with lawyers Neville Galea and Michael Muscat on behalf of the Attorney General.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit appeared for the brothers and their father, while lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri represented the grandparents. Magistrate Lara Lanfranco presided over the sitting.