A young Iranian couple heaved a deep sigh of relief on hearing a magistrate say he would not order their deportation to the country they were fleeing since they had applied for refugee status in Malta.

Edalati Hemmat, 29, and his partner Najmeh Letafat, 27, stood closely together in the dock as they admitted to making use of counterfeit Israeli passports in a desperate attempt to build a better life for themselves in the UK.

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale heard how the couple arrived in Malta on December 26 using the counterfeit passports that went undetected.

On New Year’s Eve they returned to Malta International Airport to board a flight to the UK but officials realised the passports were fake and they were arrested.

Police Inspector Darren Buhagiar said the couple told him they were fleeing Iran and wanted to go to the UK in search of a better life. They obtained counterfeit passports from Turkey.

The magistrate noted that, given that the two did not have legal travelling documents, it was common practice to deport them.

However, this would not happen since they had applied for refugee status in Malta.

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