Mr Maraldi is one of two people in the international spotlight as rescuers hunt for the plane wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, which disappeared in the early hours of Saturday carrying 239 people.
Mr Maraldi, alongside Austrian man Christian Kozel, were listed as passengers on board the missing flight, but authorities soon discovered the two never purchased tickets and instead had reported their passports stolen while in Phuket. The two men are now believed to be the victims of identity fraud.
Today Mr Maraldi, who is again on holiday in Phuket, recounted the past events relating to when his passport was stolen last year while he was on holiday in Phuket.
He explained to the head of Region 8 Police, Pol Lt Gen Panya Mamen, that his passport was stolen on July 22, 2013, after an incident at a motorbike rental shop.
He used his passport as a deposit when he rented a motorbike, and when he returned the bike, he was told his passport had been given to someone else. He contacted police on July 25 to report his passport stolen, and was given a temporary travel document to return home to Italy.
Mr Maraldi arrived back in Thailand on March 1, and today around 3.30pm police located him at a guesthouse on Nanai Road, and brought him to the police station for questioning.
Mr Maraldi explained that yesterday he was contacted by friends and relatives about the missing plane. He was shocked and told them he was still alive, and was in Phuket.
He wrote on Facebook, Now I have learned that [on] the plane [that] disappeared in Malaysia, there was an Italian named Luigi Maraldi [on board]. In telling you that is not me, I want to express my closeness to the family."
Those at the press conference were today told that usually, if a passport is reported lost or stolen, it cannot be used in Thailand again.
Mr Maraldi is due to return home to Italy on March 15.
The other person whose stolen/lost passport was used by a passenger on board the Malaysia Airlines flight was Austrian man, Christian Kozel.
He reported his passport missing in Phuket on February 18 this year, and police are trying to find more details.