Taxman can’t locate Keith Schembri’s wife to pay her dues

The Shift Team - 08. May. 2023

The courts have issued a public notification order to inform Josette Schembri Vella – the wife of former Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff Keith Schembri – about the withdrawal of almost €85,000 in taxes due.

A notice published in the Government Gazette states that Schembri Vella, in her personal capacity and as a director of the 3City Designs Ltd interior design company, has been informed of inland revenue’s intention to make the withdrawal and has given her two days to file a reply in court.

Legal experts told The Shift that such a notice is published only after several attempts to serve the debtor with an official legal letter.

Such a step would be taken when, in this case, the court’s attempts to locate Schembri Vella and to serve her proved fruitless.

Schembri Vella is registered as living in a villa in Santa Maria Estate, Mellieha together with her husband Keith.

The registered address of the summoned company, 3City Designs, is in Bormla and at the same address as Kasco Holdings, Keith Schembri’s business conglomerate.

Both Josette Schembri Vella and her husband Keith Schembri, along with their companies, are currently facing criminal money laundering charges before the courts.

The charges are related to corruption, embezzlement and money laundering connected to a €30 million project at Allied Newspapers involving the acquisition of multimillion-euro printing facilities.

Last December, Schembri Vella and 3City Design were served notice for a total of €266,000 in unpaid taxes. The taxes remained unpaid, leading the court to issue a garnishee order sequestering the amount due in favour of the Commissioner for Inland Revenue.

3City Design is owned by Kasco Holdings (50 per cent) and Schembri Vella (50 per cent). Its auditors were Nexia BT.

The company was behind the Loft brand run by Schembri Vella and benefited from a number of design contracts from large private companies, mainly from the construction industry, when Schembri ran the show at Castille.

The company is currently under a freezing order in connection with the court proceeding, where prosecutors claim the company was part of a complex money laundering scheme that transferred cash between various entities -a process known as layering.

These included transfers from Vitals Global Healthcare – the original state hospitals concessionaire – Allied Newspapers and its former boss Adrian Hillman, among others.

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Klaus

2 years ago

When Konrad Mizzi, Angelo Gaffá, Keith Schembri, Joseph Muscat and their families secretly leave Malta for Azerbaijan, I know that the path of justice has been taken.

Guest

Joe

2 years ago

It seems to me that ‘attempts to serve the debtor with an official legal letter’ were half hearted, feeble and ineffective. Another delay tactic buying time for a few phone calls to be made between Kasco and Joseph, Joseph and Bobby, Bobby and Gafa, Gafa and Victoria and back to Kasco, who in the meantime,will arrange a quick holiday for his wifey, and then, for sure, the boldest attempt to serve Josette Schembri Vella will fail.

Guest

Brandon

2 years ago

Josette Schembri Vella also owns Temple Concierge Ltd C77654. The company has not filed audited accounts since 2017. She was a recipient of direct orders from the Malta Gaming Authority during the days of disgraced Joseph Cuschieri. The company has a bank account with Bank of Valletta, Zabbar branch as per public records.

Guest

Godfrey Leone Ganado

2 years ago

Another business group that has converted itself into a web of companies, is the DIZZ Group owned by Diane and Karl Izzo.
The group set up, is similar to groups of companies that resort to intentional layering, which is a common tool used in money laundering activities.
In fact, for regulatory purposes, under money laundering and financing of terrorism rules, such network companies are subjected to Enhanced Due Diligence, and even moreso, as they are heavily involved in the retail trade where sales income is mainly earned in cash. That is, the retail trade and a high incidence of cash transactions carry a high risk for risk assessment purposes.
In this particular case, the situation renders itself more high risk as Karl Izzo and Diane Izzo are both classified as politically exposed persons, by virtue of Karl Izzo being an ambassador and as a result having the privileges of a diplomatic passport.
One may also factor in the fact that Karl Izzo is ambassador of Montenegro, a politically designated high risk jurisdiction, which is also linked to Malta and Enemalta,
in suspicious transactions regarding the Montenegro Windfarm project negotiated by Joseph Muscat and Konrad Mizzi.
HAWWADNI HALLI NHAWDEK.
Dubai here we come.

Guest

makjavel

2 years ago

So first Keith lost his mobile , now he mislaid his wife.
One of these days . Muscat will loose his passport.

Guest

James

2 years ago

There?ll be no need for either Schembri or his wife to be concerned about the charges they face, as between them the AG and Commissioner Gafa will doubtless have committed procedural errors which will result in all charges being dropped!

Guest

Klaus

2 years ago

This is deeply shameful:

For the Schembris, because they do not seem to have even the minimum decency.

For the government, because not even this is attempted to clarify.

For the police, or rather the would-be police, who obviously like to be paid for non-performance.

For all of Malta, because it is visible for all: The “poor” or the simple people are beaten up, the “big” ones walk around freely.

If anyone here still has a question. The question is why Keith Schembri is not allowed to travel to the USA and he can walk still over Malta.
I would love to send the whole not very honorable gang to the States.

Guest

Joseph Tabone Adami

2 years ago

We have been told that about 26 Millions are required to refund overpaid taxes to about 25,.000 earners.

In proportion, 266,000 Euros can cover refunds due to more than 250 who were somehow overcharged by the tax-man in his calculations – and, again somehow, have done nothing about it yet!

Paul Bonello

2 years ago

So this KS first lost his mobile, then lost his memory, then his voice and has now lost his wife. What a tragicomedy character. https://old.theshiftnews.com/2023/05/08/taxman-cant-locate-keith-schembris-wife-for-her-tax-dues/#comment-24023

Guest

Klaus

2 years ago

If not so sad (for Malta) I would think he is just a ??.

Guest

Paul Berman

2 years ago

She is playing angry birds on his phone

Guest

Eddy

2 years ago

For them, Dubai is the place to be.

Guest

Ray Farrugia

2 years ago

I sincerely doubt if the police ever made it to Santa Maria estate to serve the notification and lied through their teeth. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was informed well ahead of any planned attempt to serve it.

Guest

Lawrence Attard

2 years ago

When still working at the Law Courts I was responsible for issuing thousands of Legal letters. Some very well known companies and prominent businesspeople serving quite a few of them proved a daunting task. We often had to resort to publishing in the GG, two local newspapers and affixing the notice to their registered address, local police station and the local council concerned. Quite a cumbersome procedure. But few escaped.