Court jails migrant for giving passport to a friend

A Somali woman who gave her passport to a desperate friend trying to go to Italy in search of her husband was yesterday jailed for six months.

Saharla Mohamed Ismail, a 23-year-old housewife residing at the Ħal Far open centre, admitted to giving her Maltese passport to Nimra Salah Yassin last month.

Ms Yassin was last week jailed for three months after admitting to using the passport to try and get to her husband in Italy whom she has not seen in two years.

The court heard that Ms Ismail had handed over her passport because Ms Yassin was distressed after learning that members of her husband's tribe were in Milan and so thought she might be able to track him down.

Police Inspector Joseph Her-sey, the Principal Immigration Officer, prosecuted.