Murdered Mobster’s Money Man Claims Malta is Cog in Cross Border Illegal Betting Operation

^{Malta identified as location for money laundering. (Image: Allard Schager / Alamy)}

Malta is blessed with glorious weather and stunning scenery as a tourist destination. It is also a massive business hub for the gambling industry including land based and online casino operators.

Recent reports document  the presence of the Mafia in Italy and now it appears that Malta has been touched by the hand of organised crime.

It has been alleged that murdered Turkish-Cypriot businessman Halil Falyali ran an illegal betting network, estimated to be worth £75 million monthly, with Malta as a key operational base. Cemil Önal, Falyali's former "money man," claims Malta was used to launder money, as it was easy to set up companies and bank accounts there.

Casino Owner gunned Down by Assassins

Falyali who was once wanted by the US authorities for allegedly money laundering drug money met his end in Northern Cyprus in an ambush by gunmen. He was the proprietor of Les Ambassadeurs Hotel, Casino and Marina in the port city of Kyrenia on the Turkish Cypriot side of the divided island.

Easy Place to do ‘Dirty Business'

Onal is now claiming that Malta was the one of the cogs in a major cross border illegal betting operation. It remains to be seen whether the interviews with Onal taped at a Dutch prison will firmly cement Malta as a place where dirty money is laundered.

Onal claims that Malta was an easy place to do dirty business as opening a business there costs €2,000. 

 Once you open a company, you have bank accounts and bitcoin. There is no problem in Malta when you exchange your bitcoins and deposit them into your bank account. That is how you clean the money,

Turkey’s Interior Minister Announces Crackdown on Criminal Network

The network allegedly operated, including using "mule accounts" and cryptocurrency to move and conceal funds. It is alleged that other individuals with alleged ties to the network, include Albanian nationals Ulaş Utku Bozdoğan and Burak Başel, both of whom deny the allegations.

Turkish authorities are investigating the financial links to Malta and have seized assets and issued indictments related to the network. Onal was arrested in the Netherlands in December 2023, where he is fighting extradition to Turkey for his alleged role in Falyali’s murder.

Turkey’s Interior Minister announced that he was cracking down on the alleged criminal network even referencing Malta’s role in a press conference.

Virtual betting, virtual gambling and crypto constitute the circulation of money in the world without any obstacles… From the Balkans to Malta and Cyprus, they are the places where [these groups] base themselves.

A very comprehensive report on the investigation appeared in the Times of Malta . the news outlet collaborated with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), Amphora Media (Malta), Follow the Money (Netherlands), Hetq (Armenia). Investigative Reporting Lab Macedonia, Belarusian Investigative Center and Shteg.org (Albania) on the research.