Police officers from the Economic Crimes Unit last night raided the flat belonging to Mary Swan (real name Marie Elouise Corbin Klein) - an alleged Ponzi scheme operator and fraudster who has been linked to former European Commissioner John Dalli.
The news, along with pictures, was broken on the website of columnist Daphne Caruana Galizia. She reported how members of the Economic Crimes Unit raided the flat yesterday afternoon and left at 10.30pm, loading a police van with boxes of documents and computers. Mary Swan was not there at the time.
She returned to the flat late in the evening. The man in the pictures is a police officer while the other woman is believed to be an associate of Ms Swan. It was thought, until yesterday, that Mary Swan no longer lived in Malta.
Informed sources confirmed to The Malta Independent that the Malta Police have launched an official investigation into the claims made by eight investors who collectively lost $600,000 in the scam allegedly involving two companies – Tyre Limited and Corporate Group - which are registered at Mr Dalli’s Portomaso address. The investors had asked the Malta police and the FBI to investigate the case.
The group of southern American Christian investors were told that their money would be used to fund African miners who were unable to get financing from the banks. Being played on their Christian sensibilities, they were led to believe that part of the funds would be used to help orphans in Africa and The Philippines.
Michael Brady, who represents a group of eight investors who lost $600,000 in the scam, had told The Malta Independent on Sunday that the investment plan was offered to them by an intermediary acting on behalf of international fraudster Mary Swan, who also goes by the aliases of Emma Corbin and Lady Bird among others. Mr Dalli is believed to have met Ms Swan several times in the Bahamas during the summer in 2012, when he was still an EU Commissioner.
A source confirmed that Ms Swan was detained by police officers during the search. A number of other persons, thought to be foreigners, are also being investigated in connection with the scam.
Pictures and video taken from: daphnecaruanagalizia.com