Jurors yesterday acquitted a Sudanese man of trying to smuggle irregular immigrants off the island.

After some five hours of deliberation the jury cleared the man by seven votes to two of his involvement in helping a group of immigrants attempt to leave Malta for Italy illegally three years ago.

Adam Hasan Mohammed Khemis, 61, from Sudan, was pleading not guilty, arguing that the immigrants, who had testified against him, had done so because he had been chosen to resettle in France.

His lawyer, Malcolm Mifsud, argued that the testimony of Ibrahim Cone, who said he had given the accused €850 for a journey to Italy because he had known “he had done it before”, was weak. It was all down to “envy” because, while his client was chosen to start a new life in France, they had not.

“If anything, his intention was not to help them leave Malta illegally but to defraud them. In fact, when the migrants went to the police, they reported him for having stolen their money after fooling them into believing that he would help them leave Malta. He is not accused of fraud,” the lawyer had noted.

Lawyer Aaron Bugeja assisted by Gianella Busuttil from the Attorney General’s Office prosecuted.