A JobsPlus representative testified that Sultana had been registered as unemployed since December 2008, while a Social Security Department official said she was given €56,000 in social benefits between 2008 and 2021, and a Tax Department official said she didn’t declare any income in some years.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech had harsh words for Sultana, accusing her of “exploiting the vulnerabilities of people who sought what they believed to be help” and warning that some of her customers even contemplated suicide and are currently undergoing treatment as a result of their visits to her.

She also flagged that Sultana had a previous criminal record and said the accused didn’t take advantage of the second chances that a number of courts had given her to turn her life around.

However, the magistrate decided not to send her straight to jail after taking into account that hers was a “self-laundering” case and not an elaborate money laundering scheme, that she did it to fund a gambling addiction and that she lost more money while gambling at casinos than she won. 

However, Sultana was given a suspended sentence fined €28,000, and had a number of movable and immovable assets seized from her and given to the government. 

Cover photo: Stock image

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