Tristan B charged with money laundering, fraud, forgery

Former entertainer Emanuel Balzan was back in court on Thursday charged with money laundering, fraud, misappropriation and forgery after having only recently served time for defrauding a Gozitan farmer of €750,000.

Better known by his stage name Tristan B, the 49-year-old is accused of returning to fraud after his release from prison six years ago, allegedly using forged documents to persuade eight people and businesses to hand over money.

He was also placed under a freezing order covering €912,000.

Balzan pleaded not guilty before Magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace, although he initially told the court that he wanted to admit the charges and have the case brought to an end.

He appeared in court wearing a black T-shirt, khaki shorts and white trainers.

Cash allegedly taken to settle tax debts that did not exist

Inspector Ritienne Gauci told the court that the investigation into Balzan’s affairs began after a man reported handing him money he believed would help the former singer settle his outstanding tax liabilities. The man later gave police the names of others who had allegedly handed Balzan money on the same pretext.

But when investigators checked Balzan’s tax records, they found he had no outstanding tax liabilities from 2021 onwards.

After moving to the Economic Crimes Unit, Gauci said, she came across two further reports involving substantial sums which appeared to have been obtained in much the same way.

Police eventually identified eight people who had allegedly been persuaded to hand over money for purposes investigators said did not exist.

€50,000 allegedly taken for concert sponsorship

In one case, a company allegedly gave Balzan €50,000 in sponsorship after he told them a concert was being lined up — a concert that would never take place, the court heard.

To reassure victims and secure their sponsorship, Balzan allegedly produced forged receipts purporting to come from entertainment, advertising firms, soft drink companies and venues.

The documents allegedly bore the names of Bay Radio Breakfast, Magic Radio Breakfast, Nexos Lighting and Video and the Catholic Institute, as well as singers including Ira Losco, Gianluca Bezzina, Mary Spiteri, Mike Spiteri, Catherine Vigar and Moira Stafrace.

All denied any dealings with Balzan when contacted by police, the court heard.

Halfway house allegedly used to lend credibility to schemes

The court heard that Balzan had worked with halfway house Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl while serving his prison sentence. 

Because of his prior experience organising events, he was given a leadership role within the organisation as an inmate. After his release, he was allowed to continue helping organise events, but was told he could no longer handle cash or enter into contracts on the organisation's behalf.

Investigators allege he nevertheless drew on his association with Mid-Dlam għad-Dawl to bolster his credibility. 

He would present himself as someone who could arrange events, and use that position to obtain money from companies and other entities.

Bank account had just nine cents

Balzan’s one Maltese bank account contained just nine cents, Inspector Gauci told the court. Investigators said transactions on his Revolut account did not tally with the explanation that money had been obtained to settle outstanding bills and regularise his financial position.

Instead, they flagged spending which they said pointed to a lavish lifestyle.

Since his release from prison, Balzan had travelled abroad several times and spent freely on hairdressers and beauty treatments, the court heard.

Over one four-day period, he ran up around €250 in Bolt taxi fares.

Police said they found this difficult to reconcile with the explanation that money had been obtained to settle outstanding tax bills. Balzan would allegedly ask people to hand over the payments by cash.

No recorded employment since 2022

Police also carried out checks with Jobsplus.

Inspector Gauci said Balzan's last recorded employment was in 2022, shortly after he was released from prison.
Although Balzan described himself as a property agent, police found no record that he had worked for anyone since then, the court heard.

Balzan was arrested at around 9.30am on Wednesday. Defence lawyer Noel Bianco raised the validity of the arrest and asked for the call log concerning the extension of Balzan's detention.

Inspector Cheyenne Mangion took the stand and confirmed it under oath.

Balzan initially wanted to admit charges

When asked whether he was guilty, Balzan initially said he wanted to admit the charges. He told the court that he wanted to leave it at that and begin serving his sentence.

After consulting his lawyer, however, he withdrew his admission and went on to plead not guilty. No request for bail was made.

Previous fraud convictions

This is not the first time Balzan has faced similar charges. In 2011, Balzan, then 33, was jailed for nine months after being found guilty of defrauding a family friend of €2,175.

The man had lent Balzan the money after he claimed he needed it for an operation which he never underwent.

The court found that Balzan had made up stories to win the man's sympathy and obtain the money, despite knowing that he would not be able to pay it back.

In a separate case, Balzan was sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of defrauding a Gozitan farmer of €750,000. He had convinced the farmer that he could secure €6.75 million in EU funding and claimed to have passed the money on to a lawyer who, then turned out, did not exist.

The conviction followed other fraud cases in which Balzan was jailed for defrauding a businessman and a construction company.

The prosecution was led by Attorney General lawyer Claire Sammut, assisted by Inspectors Ritienne Gauci and Chayenne Mangion.

Lawyer Noel Bianco assisted Balzan.