Man accused of providing false documents denied bail

A man has been remanded in custody being accused in court of having presented false travel documents in a bid to join his wife and child in Malta.

Serbian national Danilo Beljanski, 33, was arrested by immigration officers after having allegedly submitted a false document to Identity Malta with the purpose of obtaining a residence permit.

Entering a plea of not guilty, Beljanski’s defence lawyer explained to the court that the accused had acquired his documents from a third party and had no reason to doubt their authenticity.The accused was willing to provide the name of the man who had provided him with the documents, the defence added.

Prosecuting inspector Mario Haber argued that Beljanski had never divulged this information, stressed that he could have easily done so during police interrogation.

He added that he would be willing to press charges against the third party should the accused choose to disclose his identity.

The defence put forward a request for bail, arguing that there was no risk of absconding on the grounds that Beljanski is married to a woman who is a legal resident of Malta, that they had a four-month-old child together.

The prosecution objected to the request, citing the fact that two Red Cross civilian witnesses were still to testify, and that there was a risk of the accused approaching the witnesses before they take the stand.

Presiding Magistrate Joe Mifsud denied the request for bail and set the next court hearing for 2 May.

Lawyer Leontine Calleja was legal aid for the accused.