Close to 500 protected wild finches smuggled into the country died while being held as court evidence.

Almost 700 wild finches were smuggled from Sicily on board a Virtu Ferries catamaran on October 24. Only about 200 of them remain alive.

Aaron Micallef, 35, from Qrendi, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to smuggling the birds in his Citroen Xsara. He was sentenced to nine months in jail suspended for two years and fined him €2,000 for smuggling the birds, plus a further €600 for VAT evasion. The birds were valued at almost €32,000.

Until the hearing, the birds were held in crammed cages at the quarantine section, which is not adequate to hold such a large number of birds. The birds had already been subjected to stress throughout the journey from Sicily to Malta.

The birds had to be kept as evidence, in case the accused pleaded not guilty.

Had they been released before the court case was concluded and the accused was acquitted, he would have had the right to claim compensation, possibly running into tens of thousands of euros.

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