Libya war victims offered €350,000 each to drop claims against Neville Gafa, court told

Tuesday, 11 May 2021, 08:29 Last update: about 4 years ago

Twelve Libyan war casualties were each offered €350,000 to waive claims implicating former OPM official Neville Gafa in a medical visas racket back in 2014, a court was told Monday.

Two of them testified via video conference in ongoing libel proceedings filed by Gafa’ against the former editor of The Malta Independent on Sunday, David Lindsay.

During his testimony, a 25-year old Tripoli-born survivor of the Libyan civil war claimed that a promised prosthetic arm had never materialised “because of Gafa".

He was one of a group of war casualties who were flown to Malta for free medical treatment following an agreement reached with Maltese authorities.

The witness said Gafà had approached the patients, introducing himself as the representative of the Minister of Health, demanding money for treatment.

“He wanted €3,500,” the witness said. When he said he did not have the money, Gafà had threatened to call the police and throw him out of Malta.

The witness was to be provided with a prosthetic limb, but he had gone back to Libyan without one, he said, as he lifted his arm to show an amputated hand.

Asked by the respondent’s lawyer, Peter Fenech, to clarify the amount he was offered to waive his claims, the witness wrote down the figure “€350,000” on a sheet of paper and held it up for the court to see.

Asked by presiding Magistrate Victor George Axiak if he had been present when Gafà allegedly made the offer, the witness said that it had been made to his agents. He added that the offer had been turned down.

A second witness, a 46-year old war victim, testified how he had received a visit from Gafà in hospital, asking for some €2,000 to €3,000 to renew his expired medical visa.

But he did not have the money, and he had received no treatment for his fractured hip, the man explained.