A young Albanian national who was caught by the Police Immigration Office with false documentation, appeared before the courts this morning.

24-year-old Vebi Zerja, born in Diber Albania, was charged with being in possession of a forged, altered or tampered Italian identity card. When apprehended, on 18 July, the man was also in possession of a forged Italian driving licence and a tampered Italian Tessera Sanitaria card. The arrest happened when the man was on a connecting flight from Albania to London, with a stop in Malta.

The prosecution, led by inspector Darren Buhagiar, also brought forward a charged related to forgery and use of false documentation with which he tried to pursue entry into Malta.

Defence lawyer Noel Cutajar said that the man wanted to escape Albania fearing for his life as there were death threats made against him.

The accused pleaded guilty and did not ask for bail. Magistrate Neville Camilleri ordered the man to be remanded in custody.