Man who acted as MEPA official jailed for 19 months

Magistrate Saviour Demicoli condemned 58-year-old Eugenio Gaffarena from Mqabba to 19 months for pretending to be a MEPA official, and called Joseph Azzopardi, who owned an illegal structure in a field.

Gaffarena had asked for €11,650 (LM5000) for the structure not to be demolished.

When contacting Azzopardi in June 2008, Gaffarena had given the name of a real MEPA official, and told him that if he paid the sum he would be able to make some arrangements for him.

Azzopardi became suspicious when Gaffarena, had contacted him again asking for more money.

Azzopardi had gone to MEPA to verify the situation and discovered that the person bearing the name he had been told was not in fact the same person he had spoken to over the phone and the one to whom he had given the money.

Dr Jose Herrera represented the accused while Inspector Maurice Curmi led the prosecution.