Man pleads guilty to trafficking third-country nationals

A Maltese man was handed a two-year prison sentence after admitting to human trafficking charges on Wednesday.

The man, whose identity is subject to a court-imposed publication ban,  was charged with bringing in third-country nationals illegally and making false declarations to authorities.

Inspector Karl Roberts told the court his arrest was the result of joint investigations by Jobsplus and Identità, after officials from the two entities received reports of an excessive amount of workers employed in the man’s company.

Moreover, an inspection from Jobsplus found that one of the three restaurant’s under the company’s ownership was in the process of closing down. Another restaurant was not in operation yet, and a third was just a kitchen set up for online deliveries only.

Despite this, many foreign workers were registered employees with the company. When Jobsplus discovered that the workers were registered as employeed with the company, but were not actually working there, the authority terminated their employments and forced them to pay their due taxes and national insurance.

The third-country nationals told immigration police that they saw online adverts from the company for waiters, cleaners and dishwashers while still in India. They contacted the company, and were asked to pay a €1,500 recruitment fee.

Both the prosecution and the defence agreed that the man should be given a two-year prison sentence on the grounds that he had cooperated with the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest possible stage of the proceedings.

Lawyer Giannella de Marco, representing the accused, asked that he be kept in the appropriate conditions at the Corradino Correctional Facility, as he suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure.

Magistrate Monica Vella, who presided over the case, sentenced him to two years in prison but recommended that the prison administration ensure that his health conditions are catered to.

Jobsplus was represented by Bernard Zarb during the hearing.