Benefits fraud scandal: Sant says everyone involved in racket should be prosecuted

Labour MEP and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant has said everyone involved in the disability benefits racket should face justice.

“I agree with those who argue that not only should the individuals who "benefit" from the abuse be prosecuted but also those who were responsible for organizing and leading it – whoever they were and are,” Sant said on Facebook.

It was revealed illicit claims resulted in monthly payments from the Social Security Department, averaging approximately €450 per month. The revelations emerged in a recent report which implicated former Labour MP Silvio Grixti in a long-running fraudulent scheme that assisted numerous individuals in wrongfully obtaining disability benefits.

It was claimed that Grixti allegedly provided individuals with fabricated medical documents, enabling them to apply for disability benefits meant for severe disabilities, which they did not actually suffer from.

The MEP said abuse in social services has always been a reality governments must face.

“Such abuses have been carried out over the years for reasons of favouritism, either by an official or others who turned a blind eye to what was happening and allowed dubious benefit claims to go unchecked under various governments,” Sant said.

He said it was and still is an issue that must be addressed.

“However, when it is carried out through organized fraud, it becomes a criminal abuse that cannot be tolerated,” the MEP said.