A magistrate today warned that “as from today, foreigners coming over to Malta and engaging in petty or serious crimes will be dealt with seriously, especially in the light of the fact that a great portion of those arraigned on theft are foreigners”.

Handing out his sentence to Georgia-born Eliso Iremadze, a 49-year-old woman, who was accused of receiving stolen goods, including two mobile phones and a tablet computer, Magistrate Carol Peralta said that a petty crime becomes serious when the person/s responsible for such acts are individuals in a hospitable country.

“In such cases the court cannot ever close an eye,” he lamented.

He added that those who come over to Malta and engage in crimes will face justice and could possibly also face a prison term.

Iremadze, who admitted to having had stolen goods in her possession while also admitting to having been aware that the goods were stolen, was handed a one-year prison term suspended for two years.

Her lawyer, Patrick Valentino, argued that when she was arrested, she was kept for 48 hours in custody. He said that she has already served her sentence since it is “absurd that she was kept for 48 hours under arrest when she immediately admitted to the crime to the police”.

Inspector Jonathan Ransley prosecuted.