Guilty of falsifying signature, declaration
A Somali immigrant admitted in court yesterday to making "a very big mistake" when he sent his friend to sign for him and collect his social benefit cheque.
Ali Farah Ali, 27, had asked his fellow countryman Mohamed Ahmed Mukthar, 19, to collect his monthly cheque from the Marsa open centre for immigrants.
They both pleaded guilty to the charges of falsifying a signature and making a false declaration on June 24 and 26.
Prosecuting Officer Priscilla Caruana explained that the immigrants had to take their identification papers and sign at the centre three times a week in order to receive their cheque. But Mr Ali gave his papers to Mr Mukhtar and asked him to sign in his stead.
"I made a very big mistake," Mr Ali told the court. The two immigrants could not understand Maltese so an interpreter was called to translate the proceedings.
However, while the Somali interpreter was taking an oath, Magistrate Miriam Hayman realised he could not understand Maltese and that another interpreter was needed to translate the proceedings from Maltese to English.
"You see what happens when you rush," the magistrate told the prosecuting officer.
Lawyer Franco Galea, who happened to be waiting for another case to be heard, was appointed interpreter for the Somali translator.
Legal aid lawyer Martin Fenech pointed out that Mr Ali would not keep the cheque for himself but would pass it on to his friend.
Both men pleaded guilty and the court handed down a six-month jail term suspended for one year.
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steve elliott,uk
Jul 4th 2009, 20:05
To any doubters out there. Yet another example of an illegal immigrant laughing in the face of a generous western country. Just goes to prove their not slow in coming forward. Break a local law, get deported, no fine ,no suspended sentence. End of
louise vella
Jul 4th 2009, 18:18
“A very big mistake”! The very big mistake was made by whoever decided to give him social security benefits in the first place. Did Mr Ali Farah Ali ever pay any contributions to qualify for a social security cheque? If a million Somalis land in Malta, are they all eligible for a social security cheque? Can JRS answer this question?
Joe Morana
Jul 4th 2009, 13:43
The Maltese Courts have been reduced to rubber-stamping suspended sentences for Illegal Immigrants. This weakness the Illegal Immigrants have exploited well, and they have met with phenominal success, while the most diabolical and devious of Maltese criminal minds have failed miserably! Is something wrong with this picture?