Iosif Galea was found to have committed tax evasion
A German court has convicted Iosif Galea, a former compliance officer at the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority (now the Malta Gaming Authority MGA), to 30 months in prison.
Despite the arrest order, Galea, a gaming consultant who was wanted in Germany for tax evasion, was able to travel freely to and from Malta, according to reports. He was only captured while on vacation in Italy with former Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat.
"Maltese police failed to arrest Galea and allowed him to travel to and from Malta for a year despite European arrest warrant"
A German court convicted Galea guilty of tax evasion after an inquiry unearthed €1.7 million in unpaid taxes owed over a 32-month period between 2017 and 2019. According to prosecutors, Galea neglected to pay the 5% tax on his sports betting income over the aforementioned time period. He must now serve 32 months in a prison near Frankfurt.
The Maltese authorities have obtained a separate European arrest order against Galea. This is due to his probable role in the leak of confidential MGA information.
In related news, an internal police investigation led by Judge Emeritus Franco Depasquale and including Judge Emeritus Geoffrey Valenzia and Captain Reuben Lanfranco determined that two officers of the Malta Police Force missed an opportunity to arrest Galea. German authorities filed a European arrest order for Galea more than a year ago, but neither officer was able to apprehend him. However, the same investigation revealed that no high-ranking police personnel were responsible for the crime.
By fLEXI tEAM