Court jails four over fake passports

Four men have been handed prison sentences for using fake passports to enter Malta.

Abdalla Nadi Abdalla Atwa, Tageldeen Muse Abduhaira, Abdul Rahman and Mudthen Harounosman pleaded guilty before duty magistrate Joe Mifsud as they were arraigned earlier today on charges of falsifying documents and making use of them in the last few days to enter the Malta.

In separate arraignments, all four men pleaded guilty to the charges.

In the men’s sentences, Magistrate Joe Mifsud said that the court could not close an eye to the fact that the immigration laws of the country had been breached and that this was becoming a “constant phenomenon.”

“With all due respect, it is not acceptable that persons continue to transit through the national territory with false documentation where they are trying to deceive Maltese and foreign immigration authorities,” he said.

“Although not necessarily the case here, in principle, these crimes could also undermine national security,” added the magistrate. The Maltese State should have a strong interest in knowing the true identity of whoever is entering the country, particularly during these times of unrest, conflict and terrorism in neighbouring countries, he said.

“The recent experiences of other countries (including those in the European Union) should open everybody’s eyes to the serious risks that the phenomenon of illegal immigration with false documents can bring to innocent people.”

The court, having seen the men’s admissions and their clean criminal records, sentenced them to 6 months imprisonment each.

Inspector Frankie Sammut prosecuted.