Four month prison sentence for using false passport

Moussa Cisse from Mali, today pleaded guilty to charges of trying to leave Malta using a passport which belonged to another Malian national.

Cisse was sentenced to the minimum four months in prison. 

The accused claimed he had found the passport and tried to reach Italy using the passport. 

He also pleaded guilty to giving a false statement to the principle immigration officer.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera offered the accused to take some time to reconsider his guilty plea and explained what the consequences could be, including imprisonment.

The migrants legal aid Martin Fenech told the magistrate that Cisse had no choice but to plead guilty given his precarious situation. He explained that his client tried to get to Italy because he cannot travel to another country including Mali and was granted no protection in Malta.