Meanwhile, around 170 beneficiaries of the racket have already been arrested and charged over the past few weeks.

Many admitted their involvement in the scheme during official questioning before pleading guilty to fraud in court. Consequently, they’re receiving suspended jail sentences and orders to refund the money they are not entitled to through monthly €100 installments.

Between them, they’ve unjustifiably received more than €2.5 million of taxpayers’ money.

Moreover, the police are in possession of evidence that indicates that family doctor and former Labour MP Silvio Grixti provided false medical certificates for people to receive severe disability benefits which amount to around €450 a month.

Currently, the police are questioning around 30 to 40 people daily after obtaining arrest warrants from the duty magistrate.

Due to many of the claimants being vulnerable, the police are approaching the matter delicately by calling them into the FCID headquarters by appointment rather than arresting them at home or at work, a source told the Times of Malta.

Beneficiaries are informed of their arrest and their right to remain silent upon arrival. Most of them are out within an hour despite the fact that they could technically be detained for up to 48 hours.

The fraudulent scheme was revealed by the Times of Malta a couple of weeks ago, and since then, more and more information has emerged.

Concern was prompted by sources upon noticing that people who were receiving the benefit for epileptic fits still had a driver’s license; people who frequently suffer from these fits are not allowed to drive.

Upon hearing of the scam, locals with vulnerable family members struggling to make ends meet reached out to Lovin Malta infuriated, disappointed, and confused.

One mother opened up to the newsroom about having to spend hundreds of euros and months on application procedures only for her son with autism and other disabilities to be refused. While beneficiaries of the corruption were granted the allowance within around five minutes of being interviewed. 

Locals weren’t the only people who spoke out on the issue, several politicians condemned the shocking revelation while Prime Minister Robert Abela ensured that “no sitting MP” was involved in the racket.

This turns the attention back on to Grixti who allegedly provided claimants with forged documents that certified that they suffer from one of the listed conditions.

Claimants informed police that the Office of the Prime Minister’s customer care wing or the ministers’ aides referred them to Grixti who would then provide them with a sealed envelope containing all the documents they needed to benefit from an allowance they were and are not entitled to.

These documents appeared to be signed by other consultants who, when contacted by the police, said they had never seen the patients nor signed the documents. 

The envelope also allegedly included a falsified Transport Malta declaration that ensured that the patient had given up their driver’s license.

The claimants would then appear before a state medical board as part of an interview to determine the validity of each claim. They would be told to hand over the envelope during the interview which often lasted five minutes.

Meanwhile, according to the Times of Malta, a police investigator testifying in one of the court cases said suspicious medical certificates were found on Grixti’s laptop.

Do you agree with the FCID’s approach to the investigations?