Claudia Calleja
Migrants use 'State of Sabotage' passports
Three immigrants were yesterday jailed for two months for trying to board a catamaran to Sicily with blatantly fake passports issued by "the State of Sabotage and the Government of World Citizens".
The bogus passports did not even carry the photographs of the men who tried to use them but displayed pictures of random strangers, Police Inspector Mario Haber told the court yesterday.
The passports were so manifestly false that the police did not even classify them as a forgery and the men were only charged with trying to leave Malta without documentation on Saturday.
During the arraignment, Magistrate Antonio Mizzi heard Mustafa Sarim, 20, from Burkina Faso, and Nigerians John Bull Ibrahim, 23, and Christian Obice, 21, admit to the charges. A fourth man, Promise Ndubueze, 30, of Nigeria, was jailed for a month for escaping from the Safi detention centre.
Mr Obice and Mr Ibrahim were also charged with escaping from detention.
In a separate arraignment, Nigerian national Michael Chileno Okechukwu Ama Obi, 45, was charged with human trafficking when he allegedly helped the men in their attempt to board the catamaran.
This seems to be a new trend by immigrants in Malta to get to Italy and central Europe. Last month, the Italian media reported that nine immigrants were returned to Malta after they were caught aboard a catamaran headed for Pozzallo. They were arraigned in Malta.
Mr Ama Obi pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. His lawyers - Andy Ellul and Vince Micallef - asked for bail. They argued that their client was married to a Maltese woman and the couple had an 11-month-old child. Therefore, he had strong bonds with Malta and there was no risk he would abscond. Inspector Haber objected to the granting of bail and explained that Mr Ama Obi owned an internet business in Italy where he had lived for 13 years and had a 12-year-old daughter.
The magistrate denied the request for bail at this stage.
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11 Comments
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Kehinde Shaba
Apr 18th 2010, 13:14
I am appalled at the attitude of the maltese citizenry (based on the comments on this article) to refugees. Absolutely appalled. Does anyone actually think that any one would want to willingly become a "refugee"? These people are simply looking for a better life outside the hardship they face on a daily basis in their host countries, nothing else. They are simply looking for comfort, love, shelter - the basic needs of every human being, simple comforts of life.
We as human beings do not choose our race, colour e.t.c. before we were born. The fact that some people are maltese, british, italian e.t.c. all boils down to pure luck and hence the people who have written appalling comments on this page need to understand that they could have easily been born to a different race / culture and could have been on the other end of the stick i.e. migrants looking for a better life. How would they feel to be on the other end of the stick?
It is well known that the maltese are devout catholics, but the comments I have read on this page simply does not demonstrate this.
Stephen Sultana
Aug 3rd 2009, 17:09
Anthea: yeah right! If only you enlightened British were still here you could teach us poor, ignorant Maltese a thing or two, right? Whatever!
Denis Catania
Aug 3rd 2009, 16:54
One must ask, is this good for national and international security?
T Mifsud
Aug 3rd 2009, 16:19
There is a contradiction here ...
These immigrants entered Malta illegally. They should not have entered. So it is not logical to say that they tried to leave Malta illegally because doing so implies that to be legal they should stay in Malta and therefore their entry becomes not illegal if they have to stay ... UNLESS that is they have been arrested for the crime of entering and escaping the arrest 'house arrest' or whatever) becomes another crime.
However, these immigrants were not arrested hence the contradiction.
The solution, that should have been applied long ago, is to automatically arrest and arraign in court every single illegal immigrant, such arrignment is followed by compulsory repatriation.
c. camilleri
Aug 3rd 2009, 15:36
I cannot see the reason of stopping them from leaving. We should help them leave Malta by every means. We all argue about their presence here and yet we do all we can to stop them from leaving. This is madness.
J.Spiteri
Aug 3rd 2009, 15:23
Mr. Aba Omi had strong bonds with Malta because he WAS married or IS married to a Maltese woman? Anyway, it's not unheard of that some of them abandon their family for a better life in Europe. He also has a business and a daughter in Italy, so how did he end up in Malta as an illegal immigrant? Can these people really be trusted? They should be deported the moment they set foot on our soil!
Aimee Fenech
Aug 3rd 2009, 15:04
You can buy these passports on line and apparently we have accepted them sometime in the past lol
http://www.worldgovernment.org/visas.html
http://www.sabotage.at/sos/passport.php
Jacques Campan
Aug 3rd 2009, 13:27
And here are some people using this piece of news to lay their blind ignorant hatred here.
louise vella
Aug 3rd 2009, 11:38
No bail. No jail. Nationals of Nigeria and Burkina Faso do not qualify for refugee status. They should be sent back to their country immediately.
lgalea
Aug 3rd 2009, 10:42
The passport clearly states their intention.
Anyone still doesn't believe that they are sabotaging our state MALTA?
They used those words on purpose to show their contempt for our country ans us Maltese citizens.
anthea doughty
Aug 3rd 2009, 10:25
Nigerians in Malta illegally? How on earth did you let them get in let alone stay? These people are out and out conmen and criminals. Can't believe that you don't just deport them back to where they came from. Wasting resources on them even if in the form of putting them in prison! For goodness sake, develop a backbone and get rid of these illegal undesirables. Does no-one in your government care about the future of your land for their children, grandchildren and all future generations? Obviously not is all I can say.