Too much cash lands man in hot water

A man from Tripoli was prosecuted after failing to declare some €25,000 in cash which he was trying to bring into Malta.

Under Maltese law, all amounts over €10,000 are to be declared to customs upon arrival. 

33-year-old Azam Mohammed Omar Elkaber was arraigned before magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech this morning, charged with failing to declare that he was carrying more than twice the maximum amount of undeclared cash. 

Elkaber was charged with breaching cash control regulations. His lawyer explained to the court that the man had travelled to Malta to sign a preliminary agreement for the purchase of a property in Malta and had been unaware of the limit on the carriage of cash.

The court fined the man and ordered the confiscation of the €15,555 in excess of the amount prescribed by law, and a fine of 25% of the global amount, bringing the total amount seized to just under €22,000.

Inspector Christabelle Chetcuti prosecuted. Lawyer Edward Gatt was defence counsel.