Court sends message to migrants using false documents to escape

A magistrate yesterday jailed two immigrants for eight months each for using false travel documents.

A six-month jail term, the minimum allowed by law, is usually imposed in such cases. However, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli opted for a harsher sentence following comments by the prosecutor. Police Inspector Geoffrey Azz-opardi told the court that although immigrants were reading media reports that they would be jailed if they tried to leave the island using false documents, they were still taking risks and, in fact, attempts to escape were being made almost on a daily basis.

He said that in many cases, the documents were so obviously fake it bordered on the ridiculous.

The officer added that the situation was having big repercussions for Malta in regard to international agreements.

In response, legal aid lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace said the court was not there to solve the problems of the Schengen agreement but to deal with the merits of the case.

Lucky Opia Paul, 29, from Nigeria and Mamadou Sibide Sedu, 25, from Mali pleaded guilty to using false documents and being in possession of false passports.