Dar tal-Providenza fraudster says girlfriend threatened to have him killed

A convicted fraudster, currently serving time for collecting donations for id-Dar tal-Providenza in return for a fake €5000 voucher, has told a court that he was forced into the scheme by his former girlfriend, who had threatened to get him killed if he did not comply.

The man, 32 year-old Joseph Meilaq, was testifying in the compilation of evidence against Graziella Apap, who stands charged with fraud-related offences.

Meilaq said his girlfriend had taken advantage of his helpful nature and threatened him to go around collecting money door-to-door.

The witness told Magistrate Audrey Demicoli that Apap “threatened to kill me and throw me in the sea where no one would find me. She  repeatedly told me that I would be in trouble if I did not cough up €100 a day.” Meilaq said that he did not pocket any of the money he collected, instead passing his takings on to Apap. 

“I used to buy her things she wanted... two televisions, one of which was a 50-inch plasma TV, home decorations and a tablet computer,” he added.

Siggiewi resident Apap, 30, from Siggiewi is pleading not guilty to soliciting donations for the charitable institution under false pretences and to defrauding the victims.

Meilaq alleged that the couple had collected around €8,000 by the time they had been caught. He explained how he would knock on the front doors of people’s houses and would tell them that they would be given a €5,000 voucher were they to donate €400 to Dar tal-Providenza.

The witness, who works as a refuse collector and street sweeper, told the court that he had embarked on a romantic relationship with Apap, in spite of her having a boyfriend at the time.  They had moved in together, after which Apap started to insist that he collect more money to pay her a minimum of €100 a day. She threatened to evict him from their apartment if he didn’t comply.

“I am a helpful soul, so when she told me that she was paying €450 in rent, I wanted to help her. She needed a washing machine and I was ready to buy it for her but I needed time as I was only earning €66 a day,” he said.

Meilaq told the court that Apap, who told him that she worked as a masseuse but never told him were, had threatened “that she would tell her brothers to kill me.”

He added that friends and co-workers had warned him that Apap was trouble, but he chose to follow his heart. “Had I not met her, I would not be in jail today,” he admitted.

There were also physical attacks, he said, but he had not taken the matter to the police.

Police Inspector Jonathan Ferris is prosecuting the case. Lawyer Valentina Lattughi is defence counsel.