Nationalist Party local councillor Francine Farrugia has been charged with defrauding MCAST, where she works, to the tune of €2.3 million - money which allegedly went towards property, cars, and designer clothing.
Farrugia, who is 31 years old, faced charges of fraud, misappropriation, embezzlement, money laundering, and computer misuse in a case which is connected to a €2.3 million fraud investigation at the educational institution.
Farrugia contested the 2022 general election for the PN on the fifth and sixth districts but was not elected. She currently serves as a local councillor in Siggiewi, where the PN holds a majority.
She was charged in her capacity as a manager of the accounting section at MCAST, where she handles the payroll of the school.
The court, presided by Magistrate Nadine Lia, was told that the police's Financial Crimes Investigation Department began investigating Farrugia in June and found that through her work she had access to salaries, and she registered "double salaries" between September 2023 and May 2025.
She was allegedly found to have transferred €422,420 to her bank account and another €1.9 million into her Revolut account.
The police then contacted MCAST in July and prevented her from transferring another €122,000 to her bank account.
The court heard that police had found that Farrugia had bought a property in Malta and entered into several promise of sale agreements on other properties, together with buying vehicles and luxury clothes during this two year period.
On one occasion, the court heard, she spent some €113,000 on clothes and jewellery in one shopping trip to Harrods in London, and police inspector Wayne Rodney Borg told the court that a "huge" amount of handbags, shoes, and sunglasses were found at Farrugia's home.
The amount of luxury items found was so massive that the police had to leave some at her home as otherwise they would have filled up the courtroom, an inspector said.
Farrugia was arrested on Wednesday morning at MCAST.
Her lawyer, Peter Fenech, told the court that Farrugia was mentally unwell and pleaded not guilty on her behalf.
A request for a freezing order was upheld by the court. A request for a ban on Farrugia's name due to health issues meanwhile was declined, particularly as the media had already reported on her and the charges she was facing prior to the arraignment.
Lawyer Thea Lynn Cesare, appearing for MCAST, also asked for a media ban on the name of the educational institute, but this was refused, with the court saying that there was no legal grounds to order such a ban.
Farrugia's lawyer requested bail for his client, and here is emerged that the alleged crime was not uncovered by MCAST, but by the police.
The prosecution argued against bail, saying that more searches still had to be carried out on another property, an office, and other residences, while police also had been constrained into leaving some luxury clothes at the accused's house, such was the quantity.
As for her job at MCAST, Cesare told the court that an emergency board meeting was held on Thursday and that Farrugia was to be suspended.
Bail was denied, and Farrugia was remanded in custody.
Education Minister is ‘angry and disappointed’
Education Minister Clifton Grima said that he was “angry and disappointed” at the news which had emerged in court.
At the same time, he said that he appreciated the joint work between the police force and MCAST and everyone else who worked on the case so it could be expedited.
“Beyond the identity of the person concerned and other public roles she used to and still occupies, MCAST will continue its work in favour of students while ensuring that it will continue to safeguard the principles of governance, accountability, and transparency,” Grima said.
He said that measures in this sense have already been taken while the college must continue working for the good of its educative community.