Man charged with attempting to illegally smuggle relative into Malta

A 29-year-old man, from Qormi, was charged in court, for trying to help someone entering the country illegaly.

The court, heard on Sunday afternoon, how Syrian national Bashar Mohamad, was arrested at the end of last month after the police received a tipoff about his potential involvement in terrorism.

Initially the tip-off had yielded no results, and the man was released on bail as investigations continued.

The hearing, preceded by Magistrate Noel Bartolo, heard police inspector Zachary Zammit, explain how Mohamad was then found in possession of two Maltese passports which he was planning to use when flying out of Malta to Germany.

Only one of them was his and the other belonged to a relative.

Zammit said investigators believed the accused was planning to sell the second passport to someone abroad.

Mohamad pleaded not guilty.

Defence lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit requested bail, insisting when police first granted their client police bail he had respected it, and turned up at the police depot whenever they asked him to.

The prosecution, however, objected to the request, arguing that while on bail Mohamad had spoken to the passport buyer, believed to be a relative of his.

Magistrate Bartolo refused the request because of the possibility of tampering with evidence and the man was remanded in custody.

Police inspectors Hubert Gerada and Christian Abela were also part of the prosecution team.