The two men caught trespassing in the restricted area underneath the parliament building last month have been sentenced to five months in prison each.

Eman Zammit, 36, and Clayton Fava, 28, both unemployed from Zabbar, were charged with the attempted theft of tools and other equipment used in the construction industry, to gaining access to a public building with the necessary permits and relapsing.

On 16 August, the accused were caught hiding in a tunnel linking Parliament to the former Yellow Garage.  In court, the two had claimed that they were simply sheltering from the rain, however this was immediately dismissed by the court.

In his judgment, Magistrate Joseph Mifsud said that it is unacceptable to have unfinished works undermining  the security of the parliamentary building. He recommended that the entrance through the tunnel and the former Yellow Garage should be closed off completely and that a gate is erected at the entrance to the ditch, until work is completed. 

In addition, the court said that surveillance cameras should be installed to cover the area of the parliament archives (near tunnel of former train station) and the ditch. It said that a risk assessment should be carried out on regular basis and a guard tour system is set up, allowing for police patrols to be logged in.

In its considerations, the court noted that Mr Zammit was found guilty in 15 other separate cases, while Mr Fava was found guilty in 8 others.

The two men were cleared of attempted theft, but were found guilty of being in a restricted area. 

Inspector Jeffrey Scicluna led the prosecution.