They falsified documents to claim severe disability
Pair found guilty of filing false claims to receive an allowance. File photo
A man and a woman were convicted separately of social benefit fraud after they were found guilty of filing false claims to receive an allowance for severe disability when they had none.
They were found guilty of having falsified documents to get the benefit allocated for people with severe disabilities. Sources said the two were part of a group of 17 facing similar charges following an internal investigation by the social services department and which was then passed on to the police.
David Grech, 33, from Żebbuġ, was sentenced to 13 months in prison suspended for two years while Mary Anne Azzopardi, 57, from San Ġwann, was placed on probation for 13 months.
Both originally pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them but then had a change of heart and decided to plead guilty.
Magistrate Gabriella Vella heard that Azzopardi and Grech were charged with falsifying documents between January and December last year with the intent of committing fraud when they applied for a supplementary allowance reserved for those who suffered from epilepsy.
It emerged that they had submitted an application with the department of social security for the benefit of severe disability. However, it subsequently resulted that the documentation submitted to the department was false and tampered with. Besides, those who suffer from epilepsy cannot drive while...
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