Malta Court of Appeal Confirms Conviction of Ex-MGA Chief Executive

Earlier this week, the Court of Criminal Appeal in Malta reaffirmed a conviction imposed against Heathcliff Farrugia, the former chief executive of the gambling regulator in the country, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). The announcement comes after the executive was found guilty earlier this year of leaking confidential information to Yorgen Fenech, a casino owner and one of the richest men in Malta.

While Farrugia attempted to appeal the sentence, that appeal was dismissed after a decision on Tuesday this week by Justice Neville Camilleri. Justice Camilleri rejected the appeal of the former MGA executive and reaffirmed that the lower court’s ruling was correct. This effectively means that Farrugia’s three-year suspended sentence was confirmed.

Sentencing Follows an Investigation of Ties Between Farrugia and Fenech

The sentencing of the MGA’s former executive follows an extensive investigation. Police uncovered that Farrugia and Fenech discussed a government probe that involved the latter’s business. Fenech, who in 2019 owned the Portomaso Casino, shared with the MGA executive that he wasn’t happy with a money laundering investigation into his casino.

The topic was discussed by the two in September 2019 and Farrugia attempted to cushion the impact for Fenech. Holding a leadership role in the MGA, the executive was aware that another investigation against a rival casino was ongoing. The second probe involved rival operator Eden Leisure Group.

Knowing that Fenech’s rival was also under scrutiny, Farrugia promised to delay the release of Portomaso Casino’s report until the report into Eden Leisure Group was ready to be released.

Farrugia was questioned by police late in 2020. In October of the same year, he resigned from his role with the gambling regulator. In the investigation against Farrugia, 24 pages of text, exchanged between the former MGA executive and Fenech were reviewed, Malta Today reports.

The Casino Mogul, Suspect in Murder Conspiracy

Fenech was detained in 2019. Unlike Farrugia, charges against the casino mogul allege he conspired about the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a famous journalist who died during a car bomb assassination in 2017.

Galizia investigated a suspicious government contract that was awarded to Electroglas, one of Fenech’s companies. The contract was about the development of a power plant.

Since the 2017 bombing, three men have been convicted to prison for their involvement. The trial against Fenech continues and he rejects orchestrating the murder of the journalist.