Man detained over passport, stolen motorbike

A Libyan man has been remanded in custody after pleading not guilty to handling a stolen motorcycle and using a passport that was not his.

The 27 year-old man, who is well known to the police and who is involved in a number of other high-profile criminal proceedings, cannot be named by order of the court which banned the publication of his name for safety reasons.

This morning, Inspector James Grech arraigned the man before magistrate Monica Vella, accusing him of knowingly handling stolen goods, receiving a third party’s passport, attempting to make use of a passport issued to somebody else, and breaching his bail conditions. During the hearing, no details emerged as to how he was arrested.

The man pleaded not guilty. Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia, appearing as defence counsel to the accused, did not request bail.