Two Italians caught importing stolen luxury cars into Malta a few days before Christmas have each been jailed five months after they admitted to the charges brought against them. 

The court heard how four men, three Italians and a Maltese, were caught driving four luxury cars into Malta via the catamaran from Pozzallo. 

Luigi Cirella, 37, and Luciano Siviglia, 50, both from Naples, pleaded guilty to importing the luxury cars while the other Italian, Erasmo Decesare and the Maltese, Joseph Chetcuti, denied the charges brought against them and their cases were transferred to another magistrate. 

Mr Decesare is also facing addition charges related to the importation of cannabis and conspiracy to deal in drugs. 

The court heard how the police first apprehended Mr Decesare on his arrival by catamaran on December 21. He was driving a Mini Cooper. 

Police investigations led them to a garage in Gharghur where they found another three luxury cars - a Mercedes ML, a Mercedes S Class and a Range Rover Evoque - all worth tens of thousands of euro each. 

The police discovered that all four cars had been stolen from Italy in the preceding months and all had stolen Italian registration plates.  

Magistrate Marseann Farrugia heard Mr Cirella and Mr Siviglia insist on pleading guilty to the charges brought against them, despite warning that they faced a maximum punishment of seven years' imprisonment. 

They told the police they did not know that the cars had been stolen as they had been told that they were hired cars. However, the court did not buy this excuse. 

Mr Cirella said that while he was waiting to board the catamaran, he looked for the log book in the glove compartment but found nothing. It was then that he suspected that the car had been stolen. 

On his part, Mr Siviglia said he was an honest person and was scared and had been told, allegedly by Mr Chetcuti, that the cars were hired cars and were being delivered to Malta to Italians who would then drive them back to Italy. 

The court accepted arguments of the defence that since the prosecution had not brought evidence on the actual value of the cars, the court had to reply on the minimum value of €2,300. 

After considering their early guilty plea, Magistrate Farrugia jailed the Neapolitans to five months in jail. 

Police Inspector Carlos Cordina prosecuted.