The case involves the Egyptian crew of the Cypriot vessel Alexander K, who were allegedly caught fishing illegally in Maltese waters on 2 August without the necessary licence.
Charges were pressed against captain Wagih Mohammed El Hegazy, 37, his brother Oussama Mohammed El Ghaly, 26, their two cousins Emad El Din Khalil Heagazy, 29, Ibrahim Khalil Abou Hegazy, 28 and Abou Helmy El Bousaty, 30.
The five men are accused of fishing in Malta’s 25-mile conservation zone without a licence. The captain was also charged with failing to notify a fisheries protection officer of the amounts and descriptions of fish found on the vessel, as well as having not stowed away fishing gear while the boat was sailing in Maltese waters.
The boat was intercepted at about 11.15pm and was escorted back to Laboratory Wharf in Paola, where it arrived at about 5am.
Wagih Mohammed el Ghali testified yesterday and insisted that his crew was fishing between 25.5 and 26 nautical miles off Malta. He said he took that reading just before his boat was boarded by the AFM. He said that he saw a boat approaching on the radar. He said he went out on deck to try and see the boat and he fired a flare because he was frightened and wanted to identify the vessel.
He said that he eventually saw that it was a Maltese vessel and that soldiers came aboard. They tried to communicate, but they did not manage, so they tried contacting a nearby boat by radio to act as translators, but still to no avail.
He said that the AFM eventually decided to escort them into port. It is understood that the crew agreed to sell the 25 crates of merluzz (hake). It is understood that the catch does not fetch a high price on the Maltese market, but fetches a better one on foreign markets.
The fish were to be sold at auction, but a price was not agreed. The fishermen contacted their employers, but received no answer. The fish were stored in the fishing boat’s hold but they spoiled and eventually had to be disposed of.
The case continues. Police inspector Ramon Mercieca is prosecuting while Dr Leslie Cuschieri appeared for defence. The accused are under ship arrest.