Rejected asylum seekers have no legal means to leave Malta, immigration official tells court

Rejected asylum seekers have no legal means to leave Malta, a court has been told today, as one such person appeared before it on charges of failing to provide identification information to the immigration authorities.

Police inspector Darren Buhagiar arraigned 34-year-old Mohammed Sied Ahmed from Eritrea before Magistrate Claire-Louise Stafrace this afternoon, accusing him of having failed to furnish the Principal Immigration Officer with information required by law. The offence carries a maximum punishment of two years' imprisonment, but no minimum the prosecutor added. The prosecution was not insisting on incarceration, he said.

No details about the circumstances surrounding the man's arrest emerged in court today, but the charges date back to 10 April.

At a point during the man's arraignment, a question about the man's travel and identification documents arose. “The accused is a rejected asylum seeker,” the inspector said. “This means that no documents have been issued to him and the only way that he can leave Malta is by using illegal means.”

The magistrate pointed out that there was no mention of fake documents in the charges.

Communicating with the court through an interpreter, the accused pleaded guilty. A one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, was handed down.

Lawyer Patrick Valentino was defence counsel.