Sources close to the medical visas scandal speaking with this newspaper yesterday were incredulous that the police have not found enough evidence in the medical visas racket with which to proceed against government official Neville Gafà after he was accused of misappropriating €38,000 in questionable visa 'fees'.

Transcripts from Viber conversations between middleman Khaled Ben Nasan and Mr Gafà made available to this newspaper show how the former regularly hounded Mr Gafà for the funds to be returned to the applicants over the first three months of the year.  In the transcripts, Mr Gafà never questions or denies Mr Ben Nasan's claims for reimbursement for the Libyan nationals who did not receive their visas, and instead acknowledges the fact but continually postpones various requested meetings.

The transcripts show Mr Ben Nasan had repeatedly pleaded for the return of the €38,000 in visa 'fees' since early January of this year, claims that are never denied by Mr Gafà.

Sources have also confirmed that the police had interviewed the whistleblower, Libyan middleman Khaled Ben Nasan, soon after his lawyer Dr Leslie Cuschieri had written to then health minister Konrad Mizzi in April and his successor Chris Fearne in May in an attempt to recover €38,000 in medical visa 'fees' that applicants were owed when their passports were returned without the visas they believed they had paid for.

Sources also confirmed that Mr Ben Nasan, when interviewed at the time, had given the police copies of written, detailed receipts that show the €38,000 in payments for 42 applications to Mr Gafà for visas that never materialised.

Mr Gafà allegedly collected €2,500 in monthly fees from Libyan nationals injured in hostilities to be granted visas to receive treatment in Malta, plus another €100 per patient.  The system, in which patients would simply send photocopies of their passports, is said to have operated for a good 15 months.

That system was eventually changed and Mr Gafà began asking for applicants' actual passports and other documentation to be sent over to Malta in advance. Mr Gafà allegedly also asked to be paid for each visa application separately so as to cover visa fees and hospital bookings.  While amounts per visa allegedly varied from €500 to €2,500, the overall sum for the last batch of passports that were to be processed through Mr Gafà amounted to €37,800.

Those visas, however, never materialised and the passports were eventually returned to Mr Ben Nasan but the fees were not refunded. Mr Ben Nasan alleges through Dr Cuschieri that Mr Gafà told him he had used the funds to purchase a new BMW.

We will meet tomorrow - Gafa

According to the transcripts given to this newspaper, at one point in late January Mr Ben Nasan is heard in a voice message to Mr Gafà pleading for the return of the missing fees, saying, "Please, please, please.  All I need is the people's money back" - to which Mr Gafà replies in writing without disputing that people are owed any money, "We will meet tomorrow".

That meeting never took place and subsequent messages become more and more insistent, and the transcripts show Mr Gafà making continual excuses.

"Good morning Neville, the people need their money and they can't wait any longer," reads one message from Mr Ben Nasan.  "...I remind you that two weeks ago we met and you said you will solve the problem in a couple of days and you don't answer me when I call you... So the people give me problems...You took the money and I got the problems."

Another reads, "I have a problem with these people and they will speak with the embassy and I think they will take action.  It's no small amount, it's €37,800 and it's for people coming for medical cases.  Try to give the money back or give a solution. The problem will grow - find out how to solve it till this coming Saturday...When I delayed your payment for one day you called me 100 times."

Not once does Mr Gafà ask what Mr Ben Nasan is referring to, apparently well-familiar with the problem at hand.

Plenty of evidence, sources claim

Sources close to the investigation also claim there is plenty of evidence, in addition to the receipts given to the police by Mr Ben Nasan. Such evidence, sources claim, could easily include CCTV footage from the ministry and questioning of ministry staff, the majority of which, sources claim, are familiar with the situation.  They also say that Mr Ben Nasan had not given police full access to all the documents in his possession as he wanted to hand them directly to the minister.

 

Tip of the iceberg

The missing €38,000 in visa fees, however, may very well be the tip of the iceberg.  Authorities in Libya following the situation closely have expressed frustration with this newsroom that Libyans are not being treated as per agreement with Malta.

They allege that the racket was such that it was not always injured Libyans who were the recipients of the visas.  So much so that those who received the visas to come to Malta came under the guise of an agreement between Malta and Libya to treat Libyans injured in hostilities.

Expressing angst over the state of affairs, high-ranking Libyan sources speaking with this newsroom last week claimed that many of the visas intended for Libyans genuinely injured in hostilities had gone to criminals and others who were willing to fork out thousands of euros for visas to Malta.

A senior Libyan security source this week told this newspaper on condition of anonymity considering the sensitivity of the situation in the country, "They [the perpetrators of the racket] stole money from injured children who never got their visas to be treated in Malta.  Some of those children, and adults, have died in the meantime because they did not get the treatment.

"In contrast, the Italians come for the injured themselves and take them to Italy for treatment with no money asked for.  Malta asks us for money and then we never get the visas...and in this latest case they did not even get their money back, let alone the visas to come to Malta for life-saving treatment."

They also allege that Mr Gafà was making up to €150,000 a month from the visa scam.

 

Gafa denies wrongdoing

On his part, Mr Gafà has denied wrongdoing, labelling this newsroom's reportage on the story as "pure fabrication devoid of any serious sources".

Mr Gafà was employed at the Office of the Prime Minister and was later transferred to the Health Ministry.  After that, and presumably when news of his machinations came to light, he was reportedly transferred to the Foundation for Medical Services.

He insisted this week that, "Firstly, I have not only denied any allegations which were made by dubious individuals, but also personally asked the Police and also the Permanent Secretary in the Health Ministry to investigate these allegations. I have fully cooperated in the Police investigation and gave them any information and made any information available. Secondly, I immediately asked the ministry to relieve me of such duties until investigations are over."