Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1330252
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 JANUARY 2021 NEWS N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 0 The Gozo Regional Development Authority will be launching its Vision Document during a business breakfast to be held at Grand Hotel in Għajnsielem, Gozo on FRIDAY, 29 TH JANUARY, 2021 You may register your interest in attending this business breakfast by submitting your name, surname and contact number to info@grda.com.mt or visit grda.mt K ARL AZZOPARDI MALTA'S correctional budget is being strained by an unprec- edented rise in incarcerated men and women who are ap- prehended leaving Malta on false identification and pass- ports. Sources told this newspaper the rise in illegal departures is having a concomitant effect on Malta's rising prison pop- ulation, as the Maltese courts must sentence guilty parties to a minimum two years. An exercise in tracing the number of people found guilty of these offences shows many are originally from African states trying to move further north in- to the European mainland. 443 individuals were sen- tenced and imprisoned in con- nection with immigration is- sues in the last two years. The charges varied from pos- session of false documents, failing to produce passports and giving false information to the Principal Immigration Officers, and transfer of pass- ports. In 2019 alone, 116 individu- als were incarcerated, but the number shot up to 327 in 2020. The age of the prisoners ranged from 15 to 47 years. Sudanese nationals topped the list as being the country from where the highest num- ber of offenders hailed from at 212. Other offenders hailing from the Ivory Coast were the second most common, with 30 individuals sentenced over passport illegalities, followed by Eritrea (29), Chad (19), Morocco (19), Mali (15) and Albania (13). Incarcerated in- dividuals also hailed from Iraq, Georgia, Nepal and Serbia among others. 262 individuals were handed a six-month prison sentence for their offences, while 10 people were handed a two-year sentence. According to Chapter 258 of the Laws of Malta, any person who gives false information, produces any false document or forges an identity document shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a period of not less than two years and not exceeding five years. Last December, Magistrate Joe Mifsud voiced his concern over the number of people serving sentences related to passport offences. The magistrate was presiding the arraignment of Azekrou Radwane, 27, from Casablan- ca, who was sentenced to six months imprisonment. Mifsud observed that there was a "dire need" for a European and Inter- national mechanism for deal- ing with such cases. He noted that a quarter to a third of the current prison population was currently made up of passport offenders. He said that should the trend continue, the country would need to build new facilities to house such offenders. kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Over two years, 443 individuals have been imprisoned over passport-related illegalities Prison costs soar with 443 jailed over false passports