A 59-year-old man from Xewkija was fined e1,000 after he was found guilty of forging a number of documents so as to procure a working permit for a foreigner on an before July 2003.

Joseph Dingli, a retired auditor, was found guilty of procuring false letters certifying that Ali Moursi Ibrahim was a football player registered with various Gozitan football clubs.

The court, presided over by magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera, heard how Ibrahim had arrived in Gozo in 2001 as a footballer but had to abandon the game after a serious knee injury.

He was reluctant to go back to his country as he was expected to be called for mandatory military service.

Police Inspectors Joseph Cordina and Ian Abdilla prosecuted.