Thursday, 2nd July 2009 - 14:49CET

Updated: Sudanese who helped Indians escape detention jailed

Sudanese Gamil Abu Bakr, 39, was this afternoon jailed for seven years after a trial by jury found him guilty with eight votes against one of trying to help four Indian nationals escape from the Safi detention centre and on to Italy in 2005.

The four years Mr Bakr spent in preventive custody are to be reduced from his jail term.

The accused arrived in Malta in 1995 as a refugee and has since married a Slovenian woman, had two children and obtained Maltese citizenship.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, November 22, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

g. scerri (on 3/7/09)

The EU is so concerned about "sham" marriages that following entreaties from Denmark, Ireland and other member states, it is considering regulating marriages between EU citizens and non-Eu citizens. These regulations might take into account how stable the marriage is, how long it actually lasts and whether any mortgages are in the names of both partners. Basically, most member states are worried about the ease with which non-Eu citizens can enter the country and demand residence.

Paul Bonnici (on 3/7/09)

Sudanese Gamil Abu Bakr must be stripped of his Maltese citizenship now. Minister of justice - please note!

lgalea (on 2/7/09)

How could he obtain Maltese citizenship when neither he nor his wife are Maltese?
What is happening to the granting of citizenship to foreigners?

Joe Fenech
Totally agree with you.
Why should he be granted Mltese citizenship when he and his wife have absolutely NO connection whatsoever with Malta?

It's about time that Maltese citizenship is reviewed and anyone without any connection granted Maltese citizenship to have it removed and sent back.

John N Scerri (on 2/7/09)

@Joe Fenech
Don't you ever dare to emigrate to Canada & APPLY FOR CITIZENSHIP!

J.N.Scerri
Mississauga Ontario Canada

amifsud (on 2/7/09)

@Joe Fenech. Are you really serious. Try telling all your fellow countrymen and women who have become citizens of Australia, Canada, etc that they could never become citizens of those countries, where they live happily and have formed communities which thrive amongst other multicultural communities. Illegal immigration is a big problem for Malta in many ways. Racist sentiments like yours are maybe a bigger problem. You are openly discriminating between EU and non-Eu citizens.

Joe Fenech (on 2/7/09)

"The accused arrived in Malta in 1995 as a refugee and has since married a Slovenian woman, had two children and obtained Maltese citizenship." Hillarious! Change the law and make it that NO FOREIGNER can obtain citizenship. The EU people can still come over.