Five professional divers yesterday pleaded guilty to removing items of archeological importance, some dating back to 600 AD and the time of the Second World War, from the seabed around the Maltese islands. Four of the five divers received a suspended jail term while the last one was fined.

The court, presided over by magistrate Saviour Demicoli heard the men plead guilty to the charges brought against them. The items are worth thousands of liri.

The divers are: Emanuele Borg, 53, from Zabbar, Peter Raniero Borg, 48, from Valletta, Giorgio Marino, 45, born in Trapani in Sicily and residing at Marsascala, Paul Spiteri, 37, also from Marsascala and William Sciberras, 27, from Zabbar. They also pleaded guilty to breaching the Cultural Conservation Act.

The court heard how on 27 August 2005, the police were informed that divers were removing items of archaeological importance from the seabed around the Maltese islands. The police began their investigations which revealed that around three kilometres off St Thomas Bay, there were a number of divers who were collecting items from the seabed. The investigations revealed that the items were removed from the French ship SS Polynésien also known as The Little Titanic, which was used in the First World War to provide supplies to soldiers.

The items found ranged from clay objects dating back to the times of the Arabs and the Roman Empire, as well as anchors from Roman vessels.

The court heard how some objects date back to 600 AD while others were associated with the Second World War. They were found in possession of nearly 500 items which would cost nearly Lm71,000 to protect and conserve.

Magistrate Demicoli considered that the men had cooperated with the police and had clean police records. Paul Spiteri was jailed for one year suspended for two years, Giorgio Marino to 18 months in jail suspended for three years, Peter Raniero Borg was jailed for two years suspended for three years while Emanuele Borg was jailed for 10 months suspended for two years. William Sciberras was fined Lm500.

They were also ordered to pay the Lm700 in court expenses related to the appointment of court experts.

Police Inspector Michael Mallia prosecuted while Dr Matthew Brincat, Dr Chris Grima and Dr Michael Grech appeared for the accused.