Mistake by public registry led to children of one father having different surnames

A 35-year-old man, born in Malta to Libyan parents, is to have his surname corrected on his birth certificate after a court held that his surname had been incorrectly recorded at birth.

The man, Mohammed Ganna, had filed the case in the First Hall of the Civil Court against the director of the Public Registry, because his birth certificate in Malta listed his surname as Mohammed.

As a consequence of this error on the part of the Public Registry, his Malta-born children had a different surname to those born in Libya even though they were born to the same parents.

Ganna’s Maltese birth certificate incorrectly listed his father’s name and surname as Dwieh Mohammed instead of Edweb Mohammed Ganna and as per Maltese law, Mohammed Ganna was recorded as Mohammed Mohammed.

He also pointed out that there had been a mistake with regards to the particulars of his mother, who was also listed as having the surname Mohammed.

Ganna was married in Libya and his Malta-registered marriage certificate had the correct details, which meant there were discrepancies between his birth and marriage certificates registered at the Public Registry in Malta.

After a copy of his birth certificate, his father’s passport and a family status certificate issued by the Public Registry in Libya were exhibited in court, Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland ordered the correction of Ganna’s birth certificate.