Malta’s police were told that Ryan Schembri had travelled from Dubai to the UK in 2017 but “for some reason did nothing at the time”, a leading prosecutor has revealed. 

Inspector Anthony Scerri of the Financial Crimes Investigation Department revealed the detail in today’s sitting against Schembri, the defunct More Supermarket owner facing money laundering charges after being extradited from Scotland. 

At the time, the FCID, then the Economic Crimes Unit, was led by Ian Abdilla, who has been suspended from the force pending a criminal investigation.

He has faced stinging criticism for alleged inaction on financial crimes, particularly when it came to investigating top officials in the government.

Scerri took over the case in 2020 and issued an international arrest warrant on 11th April 2022 after receiving information that Schembri had been caught speeding in Scotland.

Schembri fled the country in 2014 with police revealing how the businessman was able to escape the island. His wife told police that she woke up one day in September and told her that they were leaving the country.

They fled the country via catamaran to Sicily, eventually travelling up to Amsterdam before boarding a flight to Dubai, then to Australia and back to Dubai once again. Everything was paid in cash. Schembri insists he left the country out of fear for his own safety.

He moved to Scotland in 2017 and took up employment. However, he is believed to have travelled in and out of the country while living there.

So far, police have received complaints from Schembri’s former business associates, who claim that Schembri committed fraud believed to be in the millions. Police are still searching for other creditors.

Schembri, who has pleaded not guilty, told police that the issue was “business gone wrong” and had been working to pay his creditors. Still, he refused to hand over his password when police asked if they could access his phone.

Schembri amassed millions of debt while heading the supermarket chain, fleeing the country with his wife and son in 2014. He is the cousin of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

The chain and its debts have since been linked to the murder of Carmel Chircop, a lawyer who was shot dead outside his garage in Birkirkara in October 2015. 

Chircop has been confirmed to have fronted Adrian Agius, and his business partner Ryan Schembri around €750,000 which was to be used to fund the More Supermarkets chain that Agius and Schembri were involved in. 

At the time of his murder, Chircop was chasing Agius for the remaining €600,000 that was owed to him. It remains to be seen whether Schembri will be asked to testify in the case and whether he could even potentially face charges. 

Adrian Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio have been charged with the murder after Vince Muscat turned state witness in the case.

What do you think of the police’s inaction?