A 30-year-old Eritrean, Addis Tekly, pleaded not guilty to possession of fake documentation upon his arrival in Malta  from Catania on 23 January.

The accused told the court, which was presided over by Magistrate Gabriella Vella, that he did not know that his Italian passport was fake.

Inspector Darren Buhagiar informed the court that the accused claimed that he had a protection in Italy and was in possession of an original Italian identity card.

Mr Tekly cooperated with police and told them that he had purchased the passport for 150e but did not tell them where he bought it from.

The court was also informed that Mr Tekly came to Malta in order to find work.

Lawyer Yanika Bugeja, who represented the accused, did not request bail for Mr Tekly as he did not have any connections in Malta, he did not have a job, and held no formal address. This meant that it could not be guaranteed that the accused would not attempt to leave the country.