Life returns to normal as foreigner is cleared of human trafficking

Almost four years after being arraigned for human trafficking, Lebanese national Ahmed Moussa Yassine will finally be able to reunite with his wife in England after a court of appeal yesterday cleared him of the charge.

"I had nothing to do with it," Mr Yassine confirmed as he expressed his relief.

He told The Times after the appeal court judgment that the court case had disrupted his life, forced him to abandon his studies in England, leave his wife there, and even lose the job he found while here.

In June 2005, Mr Yassine and his co-national Ali Samih Taki were found guilty of human trafficking in August 2003. Mr Yassine was jailed for six months and Mr Taki for two years because he was also found guilty of the illegal possession of passports.

The two men resorted to the Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna.

In two separate judgments handed down yesterday, the judge noted that the two men had been found guilty of helping a Lebanese family of three leave Malta to travel to Italy illegally.

However, on evaluating the case, the judge noted that evidence did not prove that the Lebanese family had in fact left the island or that they even planned to do so. Therefore, in the case of the human trafficking charge, the first court had reached the wrong conclusion when it found the two men guilty.

Mr Justice Scicluna cleared both men of human trafficking. This meant that Mr Yassine was cleared of all charges while Mr Taki was given a six-month jail term suspended for four years for the possession of the passports.

Mr Yassine recounted to The Times he had moved to Malta with his parents in 1983 and, when he was 15 years old he went to England to study sound engineering. During his stay there he married a Lebanese woman and they lived in England while he continued his studies.

In 2003, he came to Malta to apply for a Maltese passport. It was then that he was arrested and charged with human trafficking.

Mr Yassine explained that the police seized his passport so he was forced to remain here. This meant he could not continue his studies.

"I could have ended up stealing but, thank God, I come from a good family," he said, adding that he decided to start working.

But the problem was keeping the job because the prosecuting officers in his case had stayed his work permit and he could not apply for another one once his documents were exhibited in court.

To make matters worse, he said, he had problems with his wife's family. Although throughout the court case he insisted he would be acquitted, there were several delays during the compilation of evidence and his wife's family started to doubt him.

His case had been deferred several times mainly because a Libyan man, who had been originally arraigned over the same case, failed to turn up to testify.

Meanwhile, as the case dragged on, Mr Yassine struggled to hold on to jobs as employers, eventually, let him go because he did not have a work permit.

"These years tired me. I have been earning a Maltese wage to send money to my wife in England," he said.

Then, when in 2005 the media reported that he was jailed for six months, he lost another job.

But now, he said, finally the case was over and he could move on with his life.

Police Inspector Denise Mula prosecuted.

Lawyer Joseph Brincat appeared for Mr Yassine.

Lawyer Franco Debono represented Mr Taki.