Man charged with possessing stolen vehicles after Customs alert at Virtu Ferries terminal

A 36-year-old Libyan national was on Friday charged in the Magistrates’ Court with knowingly possessing or dealing in stolen vehicles.

The accused was arrested after Customs officials stationed at the Virtu Ferries terminal in Marsa alerted police to suspicious discrepancies in a car he had brought into Malta.

Ahmed Ab’a Khabiza, who resides in Tripoli and works in administration at an international school there, was arraigned before Magistrate Joseph Gatt on Friday afternoon.

Police Inspector Shawn Pawney, prosecuting on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, told the court that Customs officers had raised the alarm at around 9.30pm on 10 December when an inspection on a Toyota Land Cruiser revealed inconsistencies between its chassis number and accompanying documents, including German markings which the corresponding model should not have carried.

The vehicle, described as relatively new with just 16,000km on the odometer, had been transported from Sicily.

Inspector Pawney said the accused had made repeated trips to Malta with vehicles imported from Italy, and that police investigations had linked him to two previous cars which were later confirmed to have been stolen, one in Italy and another in Spain.

Khabiza has no residence in Malta.

The inspector presented the court with the accused’s criminal record and passport, and confirmed that the arrest was valid.

Khabiza pleaded not guilty to charges of knowingly possessing, purchasing, selling, or transporting stolen vehicles valued at more than €2,329.37, whether acquired in Malta or abroad.

No request for bail was made by the defence.