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Maltese Pimp Behind Chain Of Massage Parlour-Brothels Given Suspended Sentence As Colombian Prostitutes Get Deported

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A Maltese man has been given a two-year suspended sentence and fined €450 after being found guilty of running a brothel and living off the money made through prostitution.

42-year-old Joseph Zammit from Marsascala admitted to running a chain of massage parlours masquerading as brothels across the island, with locations in Ħamrun, St Julians, Fgura and Birkirkara.

He admitted to employing four Columbian women as prostitutes, using his massage parlours as a cover for his brothels.

The four women – Zabela Mateus Suri Sarai, 31, from Colombia, Laura Alejandra De La Pena Morales, 20, Monica Liseth Jimenez Cardona, 28 and Mary Isabel Betancourt Arteaga, 33 – plead guilty to participating in the running of a brothel.

They were given a suspended sentence and fined between €100 to €150 each. They will now be deported back to their home country as ordered by Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras.

‘It was a consensual relationship’ – Maltese pimp’s lawyer

However, Zammit’s lawyer Arthur Azzopardi said the women were there of their own choice, having a “profit-sharing arrangement” with Zammit.

He also said they were not trafficked and chose to work at the brothels.

“It is a clear case of keeping a brothel. The women were part of a commercial partnership and were paid from the takings of the business,” he was reported as saying.

It was also noted that all the women had valid passports, work permits to be masseuses, as well as insurance and all needed certifications.

A cursory search for Joseph Zammit online finds a trail hinting at his moonlighting as a pimp

He posted a public video showing how to get to his brothels, as well as a video showing the interior of one of the bars.

One video shows the interior of Heaven’s Gate, giving an inside look into a working brothel in Malta

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Screenshot of the video showing the interior of Heaven’s Gate

Blue Moon Bar and Heaven’s Gate Massage Parlour are situated right next to each other, right across the playground in San Ġwann

And public posts on Facebook indicate that, oftentimes, men would go to Blue Moon Bar for a drink in the evening before heading next door to Heaven’s Gate for a special massage.

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Pictured: Blue Moon Bar and Heaven’s Gate Massage Parlour

Zammit’s bar and massage parlour ownership licenses will now be revoked

Due to his clean police conduct, prosecutors did not recommend a prison sentence for the pimp. He will also be barred from operating a bar for two years.

Zammit was running a number of locations around the island. Heaven’s Gate in St Julians, Sensations Massage Parlour in Fgura, Blue Moon Bar in St. Julian’s, Passion in Birkirkara, and Valentine’s in Ħamrun.

This is the second Maltese pimp to be arraigned and released from custody after 30-year-old Fayton Falzon was given bail just two weeks ago.

Do you think there’s a prostitution problem in Malta?

READ NEXT: Bail For Maltese Pimp Accused Of Turning Certified Foreign Masseuses Into Sex Workers With 12 Clients A Day

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Johnathan is an award-winning Maltese journalist interested in social justice, politics, minority issues, music and food. Follow him at @supreofficialmt on Instagram, and send him news, food and music stories at [email protected]

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