The court has found enough prima facie evidence to place Florinda Sultana and Albert Buttigieg (not the St Julian's Mayor) under a bill of indictment and charge them with fraud and money laundering, TVM reports.
Florinda (Floren Sultana), 29, and a former high-ranking BNF Bank official, Albert Buttigieg (who is not the St. Julian's mayor), were accused of fronting companies which manage two seafood restaurants, to launder money linked to oil smuggling. Florinda is the step-daughter of Darren Debono, who faces charges of money laundering in Malta over an alleged oil smuggling operation.
They pleaded not guilty to numerous charges filed against them.
Both are being prosecuted in their personal capacity, while Sultana also stands charged as former director of Nesvan Company Ltd and MSI Catering, and Buttigieg as director of Luzzu Catering, the operators of Porticello in Valletta and Capo Mulini in Marsaxlokk, respectively.