A 17-year-old, who cannot be named by court order due to him being a minor, was yesterday charged with circulating forged cash, with police finding 30 counterfeit Lm5 notes in his possession when he was arrested.

The youth, from Zabbar, pleaded not guilty to forging bank notes and to being in possession of and circulating the bogus cash.

He was also accused of using forged cash to buy petrol from various petrol stations around Malta and driving a car without a valid licence and insurance cover.

During bail submissions, police inspector Ian Abdilla objected to the granting of bail on grounds that the investigation into the provenance of the cash was continuing and there was a risk of the accused tipping others off. He said that the police had been tracking the accused’s movements for over a month and he was found in possession of 30 fake Lm5 notes.

Defence lawyer Franco Debono said that the accused was only 17 and that he had a clean criminal record. “Rather than send him to the Corradino Correctional Facility, it would be of much more benefit if a social worker was assigned to the accused to find the root of the problem,” he said.

He continued: “We can safeguard the investigation by putting the accused under house arrest and tracking phone calls.”

Inspector Abdilla said that the issue of counterfeiting was a big problem. “It’s a problem and this boy was part of it. He took his parents’ car and then lied about his age when we quizzed him about it,” he said.

Presiding magistrate Lawrence Quintano granted the accused bail against a deposit of Lm1,000 and a personal guarantee of Lm2,000. The accused may not leave the house without the court’s permission and may not use the telephone. He was also ordered not to approach any witnesses, especially those being investigated by the police.