A local man pleaded guilty to Concealing Criminal Property in a money laundering case at the Supreme Court yesterday.

John Spiro Azzopardi, 69, of Crutchetts Ramp, and his daughter Kyra Azzopardi, 41, had been accused of concealing the ownership of a £200,000 yacht that was seized in Ocean Village in 2020.

The father and daughter also faced charges over transferring large sums of money, alleged to be the proceeds of criminal conduct.

But on Tuesday morning, the case ended earlier than expected after John Azzopardi pleaded guilty to Concealing Criminal Property – one of the three charges he was accused of.

His daughter was found not guilty after the Crown offered no evidence. 

Detective Chief Inspector Tom Tunbridge, who heads the RGP’s Economic crime Unit, said: “The RGP will look to remove the proceeds of crime away from criminals. Pursuing assets from organised crime groups is a priority for us.

“In this case, we’ve seized a £200,000 yacht to show that crime does not pay.

“The result also shows that we are effective in tackling money laundering on the Rock, which supports our MoneyVal and Financial Action Task Force evaluation process.”

Mr Azzopardi will be sentenced on November 7.