Two jailed over fake immigration documents

A court has jailed two men from Albania over falsifying identity documents, ordering their repatriation after serving their sentence.

Leishi Andoil and Ermal Mekshi appeared before magistrate Joe Mifsud this morning, accused of having yesterday been in possession and making use of falsified immigration documents. The pair were also accused of falsifying their Greek ID cards.

The men pleaded guilty to the charges.

In his judgment on the matter, Magistrate Joe Mifsud noted that there were serious risks to innocent third parties by having persons with false identities circulating on the islands, referring to terrorist attacks in mainland Europe.

He jailed the two men for six months, ordering that they be immediately repatriated to Albania after serving their sentence.

Inspector Hubert Gerada prosecuted.

Lawyer Christopher Chircop was legal aid counsel.