Police intervention saved loan sharks' victim from suicide, court told

The userer's victim decided suicide was the only way out when he couldn't give them back the loaned money 

A man has told a court how loan sharks nearly drove him to suicide, and how he was saved by the timely intervention of the police.

 This emerged as criminal proceedings continued against 55-year-old Anthony Galea and his 26-year-old son Gilbert, both of Zurrieq.

The father and son had been arraigned on Christmas Eve after their alleged victim told the police how a loan of around €7,500 led to twenty times the amount borrowed -  €150,000 - being demanded of him.

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The two alleged money lenders were remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to charging illegal interest rates and with having threatened their debtor.

 The clearly terror-stricken man recalled from the witness stand how he had turned to the father and son for help in 2015, asking them for a loan of €3,000 to finance the refurbishment of a snack bar.

The money was lent and repayments fixed at monthly instalments of €500. But after paying three instalments, the pending balance remained unchanged. The victim explained how Gilbert Galea had then suggested that the debt could be cancelled by a lump sum payment of €3,500, which the debtor could not afford. He later asked the pair for a second loan of €4,500.

In view of the ever-increasing sum owed, the debtor gave up and stopped paying the men, while living in fear of his creditors, being too scared to leave home except to work.

He finally turned to Caritas for help when, in January 2017, the man was told that his loan had ballooned to €220,000. The agency had contacted the money-lenders, but their calls were not returned, the court was told.

The situation reached breaking point in December 2017, when the victim had returned home from work and found himself confronted by Gilbert Galea who had been waiting him outside his house in a silver BMW.

“You must bring me €120,000 by Sunday or otherwise we both won’t enjoy Christmas,” the money-lender had allegedly said, phoning the victim up the next day to inform him that the amount was now €150,000.

Unable to bear the situation any longer, the usurer’s victim decided that suicide was the only way out. He told his employer that he would no longer be reporting for work and asked him to forward any outstanding wage payments to his wife.

On 16 December, the victim sent a text message to a friend explaining his debt problems and saying he had reached the end of his tether. “I’m going to switch off my mobile. You won’t see me any more,” read the message.

The message’s recipient wisely filed a police report which led to a police search. The man was found at Ta’ Qali and taken into police custody. It took him four days to muster the courage to leave his home under police escort to release his statement.

The messages sent by the alleged loan sharks demanding payments from their victim were exhibited in court by the prosecution.

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud refused a request for bail made by the two co-accused.

The case continues.

Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna prosecuted.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Alfred Abela were defence counsel.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Yanika Vidal appeared parte civile.