A traveller to Malta who was found in possession of a significant amount of cash left court with a lighter pocket after he was declared guilty of breaching cash controls regulations.

Dutchman Kevin Jethro Thiel, 31, was arrested and charged with having passed through airport controls earlier this month, while in possession of €18,870. The statutory threshold is €10,000.

His defence lawyer, Joseph Giglio, told the court that his client had been under the mistaken impression that he did not need to declare this extra cash once he had been traveling across the Schengen area.

“Very unfortunate, but yes. It’s a technical offence which many do not understand,” Dr Giglio remarked, as his client admitted the wrongdoing.

Upon the man’s own admission, duty magistrate Francesco Depasquale declared the man guilty, ordering the confiscation of the excess sum of €8,870 and fining the man €2,217.50, to be deducted from the remaining money handed back to him.

Inspector Jonathan Ransley prosecuted. Lawyer Sarah Mifsud was also defence counsel.