A Sudanese man was yesterday charged with smuggling people out of Malta after numerous complaints were made by migrants who claimed he disappeared after they had paid him to help them leave the island.

Construction worker Adam Hasan Mohammed Khemis, 57, a resident at the Ħal Far open centre, was arraigned a day after three migrants were accused of trying to leave the island.

They admitted to paying €850 each to the accused for assistance to get out of Malta.

The three migrants, Fusain Dansakou, 27, Shangare Modibo, 23, both from Mali, and Amadou Balde, 27, from Guinea had lodged an official complaint in July with the police after Mr Khemis allegedly disappeared with their money.

In their arraignment on Wed-nesday, the three men pleaded guilty and were conditionally discharged for three years.

Police Inspector Edel Mary Camilleri said she had received a number of reports about Mr Khemis earlier this year but was unable to trace him. It turned out he was in Gozo working on a construction site and living in accommodation provided by the contractor.

At one point, he was actually picked to be among those to be re-settled in France and officers waited for him at the airport to arrest him but he failed to turn up.

Recently, he was taken into preventative custody on another case, which is still pending, and Gozo police contacted her to say they had him.

Aided by lawyer Mark Busuttil, the accused asked for bail on the basis that the charges were simply accusations and that he was innocent until proven otherwise.

However, Inspector Camilleri insisted that, considering the seriousness of the charges, he should be kept in custody.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit remanded him in custody.