Syrians arrested with 10 passports blame visa application system

Two Syrian men arrested at the airport yesterday with a total of 10 passports between them, claim to have needed the passports to apply for travel visas for their families

Two men who were arrested after 10 passports were found in their baggage have claimed that they were simply applying for Maltese travel visas for their relatives.

Hamrun resident Mosab Iliwi, 23 and 31 year-old Najm Ryad from Paola had been arrested yesterday upon their arrival at Malta International Airport on a flight from Istanbul. The men, who have lived in Malta for a number of years, are Syrian refugees and also enjoy subsidiary protection.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras heard Police Inspector Lara Butters explain that a search by customs officers had turned up 8 passports in addition to those of the two accused.

But defence lawyer Arthur Azzopardi hit back, criticising the fact that the local authorities required physical passports to issue travel visas. He explained that the men had brought their relatives’ passports with the intention of taking them to the Central Visa Unit and applying for a visa. The actual passport is required for a visa application to be processed.

Describing the situation as an “administrative blunder,” Azzopardi pointed out that one could not enter the Maltese Islands without a visa and to obtain said visa one’s passport is required. “There is no option but to send it with other people. One of the accused was carrying the passports belonging to his wife and children,” said the lawyer.

The men were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000, also being ordered to sign a bail book three times a week.