An Iranian couple, Edalati Hemmat, 29, and his partner Najmeh Letafat, 27, have admitted in court to making use of counterfeit Israeli passports.
The two arrived in Malta on Boxing Day after the use of their fake passports was undetected. But they were arrested on New Year's Eve when they tried to board a flight to the UK.
Police Inspector Darren Buhagiar told the court that 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.