Identità: Suspended sentence for man who assisted third-country nationals to illegally reside in Malta through false declarations

Anthony Attard, 47, has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to assisting third-country nationals to illegally reside in Malta through false declarations to the authorities.

The case is related to investigations into the issuance of residence permits, which also involved government agency Identità.

It is being alleged that 18,000 fake ID cards were illegally issued to foreigners against payments ranging from €2,000 to €5,000 for each document. Identità has denied any involvement, stating its Compliance and Expatriates Units had conducted an investigation and passed on information and evidence about “some individuals” to the police so that they may investigate.

In court, the prosecution, led by Inspector Karl Roberts, explained that in recent days, several individuals were arrested in connection with fraudulent rental contracts that illegally facilitated non-EU nationals.

He stated that one of the masterminds behind the case worked with Attard, where it was found that several foreign nationals were registered at the accused’s personal address.

In the sitting presided by Magistrate Nadine Lia, it was revealed that the accused had installed letterboxes with the names of these individuals, who were supposedly residing there, to ensure any correspondence from Identità could be delivered to them.

The prosecution added that a prime suspect in this case led them to Attard, resulting in an arrest warrant being issued against him.

It was explained that Attard cooperated with the police, and his testimony was crucial in ensuring the prime suspect in this criminal ring would be brought to justice in the coming days.

The prosecution suggested a suspended sentence for the man, which his defence agreed with. After hearing all submissions, the court found Attard guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for four years.

READ ALSO: Identitàgate: Six people registered as living at Gozo hotel which closed down in 2017