A 20-year-old Russian was this morning charged with trying to hoodwink the citizenship department by producing a false reference letter from Middlesex University.

Artur Gurdzhinyan, a resident of Msida, pleaded not guilty to making a false declaration on June 11, when he presented a letter from the university which stated that he had been a successful student.

He had applied with the Citizenship and Expatriates Department to regularise his position after overstaying by a year.

When officials checked the document, it proved to be false, sources close to the case said.

Magistrate Neville Camilleri, granted him bail against a personal guarantee of €10,000 and a deposit of €3,000.

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