A Malian who lived in Rome and who was caught with a fake Italian passport upon his arrival in Malta was this afternoon jailed for six months.

Prosecuting officer Frankie Sammut said the Maltese police had seen a sudden increase of similar cases. He said the impression was being given abroad that the Maltese courts were lenient with people caught with forged documents. He said that while some magistrates had imposed suspended jail terms in the past, others were sending people to jail to serve as a deterrent to others who were planning to follow suit.

He was making submissions after Coulibaly Moussa, a 23-year-old unemployed Malian who lives in Rome, pleaded guilty to having a fake Italian passport.

An Italian permesso di soggiorno found in his possession was authentic, he said.
Magistrate Francesco Depasquale jailed Mr Moussa for six months for his “serious crime”. After serving the jail sentence, he will be repatriated to Italy.

Lawyer Anthony Cutajar appeared for the accused.

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