MGA removes director Galea

Iosif Galea, the former compliance officer for the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) who was arrested earlier this month on fraud charges, has been barred from serving as a director at any MGA-licensed enterprise and has lost his one existing directorship.

The MGA stated that it has notified Galea that any approvals allowing him to serve as director for MGA licensees have been revoked. The regulator stated that Galea had a single directorship position with one of its licensees at the time the decision was communicated to him.

Galea was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) at the beginning of June while on vacation in Italy with Joseph Muscat, the former prime minister of Malta.

Galea was wanted by German police for offences involving tax evasion since the previous year. The Times of Malta said that he was already out on bail in Malta for a suspected leak of MGA information when he left for his vacation in Italy.

Since then, an independent inquiry has begun on the Malta Police Force, which has been criticised for sitting on the EAW and allowing Galea to travel.

Galea has been a consultant for igaming regulatory compliance in Malta for over six years, having previously worked with the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) for six years until 2013. According to his LinkedIn page, his responsibilities at the LGA included licencing, post-licensing, and gaming system and licenced operator investigations.

In a statement issued at the time of his arrest, the MGA said: “The MGA would like to clarify that Mr Galea has not been employed with the Authority since March 2013. Mr Galea held the role of compliance officer between December 2007 and March 2013.”

By fLEXI tEAM