Fifty foreigners submitted the same address in Sliema as their official residence in their applications to Identity Malta.

Thirty five Libyans, five Ukrainians and a number of Slovak, British, French and Chinese nationals were allegedly charged between €150 and €350 each to use the apartment in Windsor Street as their official residence address when they applied for official documentation such as identity cards, visas and residence permits.

The foreigners would sign the fictitious lease contract even if they did not understand English

The potential racket surfaced during a police investigation into the possession of forged documents by a Libyan national after Identity Malta flagged the matter.

The investigation led to the arrest and arraignment of Abdarrhim Osman, a 25-year-old Libyan who holds subsidiary humanitarian protection. He was charged with possession and use of forged documents.

50 gave the same address in Sliema

Mr Osman was also charged with making false declarations to a State authority.

Before Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, Mr Osman pleaded guilty to the charges and was discharged on condition he does not commit another crime within two years.

The investigations indicate that after paying the requested amount, the foreigners indicated a mobile number where the landlady would call them to collect any mail they receive.

Police investigations have also revealed that the foreigners would sign the fictitious lease contract, even if they did not understand English.

In his judgment, Magistrate Mifsud noted how certain people were exploiting foreigners.

He said Mr Osman was living in an apartment in Marsa but the landlord did not allow him to use the address as his official one, forcing Mr Osman to find another way of obtaining an address.

The magistrate noted how Mr Osman signed a fake lease agreement, which was then passed on to the authorities to process his application. He called on the authorities to draw up legislative instruments so that lease agreements are registered officially.

The issue of fake lease agreements had been raised when accountant Joe Sammut was charged last month over accusations he helped Libyan nationals obtain residency permits by registering phoney companies.

In court, three Libyans who used Mr Sammut’s services testified that the signatures on lease agreements attached to their residency permit files were not theirs. They also did not recognise the landlord through a photocopy of his ID card attached to the lease agreement.