Dragonara casino operators unaware of ‘abandoned’ court evidence

The new operator of the Dragonara Casino has declared it was not aware that a court expert had left very important evidence - almost 300 security tapes - inside the casino before absconding his duties in Malta and returning to the United Kindgom, where he lives.

British citizen Jason Holder, a forensic expert appointed by the court in criminal proceedings for fraud and money laundering against Italian national Fabio Zulian, were left at the Dragonara Casino at the time of Holder's departure from Malta.

Holder was appointed as an expert to retrieve and examine 300 security tapes from the Casinò di Venezia in Birgu, but he had decided to leave the island, abandoning the evidence and leaving it in an office at the casino's main competitor, the Dragonara.

His appointment as court expert in 2006 had already raised eyebrows in the case, when he was appointed to look into behavioural issues over three men at gambling tables inside the Casinò di Venezia, since he was an employee at the Dragonara Casino.

In comments to MaltaToday, the operators of the casino, Dragonara Gaming Limited, said they took over the operation of the casino on 30 June 2010 following the grant of their licence by the gaming authority, and was not responsible for the running of the casino when Holder was appointed court expert.

"At the time of his appointment, Holder was employed with the previous operator of the casino and formed part of its senior management team. He however resigned his post a few weeks following the grant of the Dragonara Casino concession to our clients," a lawyer for DGL told MaltaToday.

"Our client was not aware, prior to your report, that the security tapes entrusted to Holder were left inside the Dragonara casino. It shall make any such tapes immediately available to the court should these be found on its premises."

On Tuesday, Magistrate Miriam Hayman stressed that Holder's decision to leave Malta and abandon the evidence was "very serious" and merited a thorough investigation, to the point that it is expected that a European Arrest Warrant could be issued against him within the next hours.

Hayman said that she considered Holder's behaviour as "serious contempt of court" which had the potential of jeopardising the criminal case he was appointed to assist in the investigations.

Court expert Martin Bajada told the court that Holder had telephoned him from the United Kingdom and informed him that he was not returning to Malta. "He told me that he was in Britain, he was unemployed and had just become a single parent," Bajada said, adding that Holder also said that he had no intention of returning to Malta.

When asked about what happened to the 300 security tapes he was meant to be examining, Holder reportedly told Bajada and Inspector Antonovic Muscat that he had "left them at the Dragonara Casino."

Fabio Zulian, 45 of Gallia, Italy was arrested on December 10, 2006 together with another Italian Gaetano Camarazza, and charged with fraud and money laundering. Another man, Slovenian Nevio Barut had pleaded guilty and was jailed in 2007.

Zulian and Camarazza allegedly played at the casino for three consecutive weekends, paying with cheques belonging to a number of Italian banks and stolen bank drafts. In the process the casino claims to have lost up to €200,000.

Camarazza has since committed suicide, and Zulian had fled Malta, only to be brought back by European Arrest Warrant in October 2011.

He is now asking the court to be given bail once more, after claiming to have already forfeited €150,000 after he had previously jumped bail.