Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524428
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 JULY 2024 NEWS KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt A magistrate has ordered the po- lice commissioner to investigate two officials from government agency Identità after they gave conflicting testimony in court. The officials appeared as wit- nesses in proceedings against an Egyptian man who is accused of giving false information to ob- tain a residency permit in Malta. The Egyptian man, Moustafa Ata Moussa Darwish, had falsely told the agency he was married to a British woman. But the case against Darwish took a twist when Identità of- ficials in court gave conflicting versions as to whether the man's file was available, leading Magis- trate Kevan Azzopardi to order a police investigation. Darwish was issued a permit in March 2023 but the residency card was revoked on police or- ders last month. Chief information officer Ste- fano Rodoligo said he had asked an official from the Expats sec- tion at Identità to search for the file in the agency's archives. Rodoligo testified that Isaac Micallef, from the Expats sec- tion, had personally taken the re- quested file to his office. The file contained documentation related to the accused's application for a permit as a non-EU family mem- ber. Rodoligo's testimony raised eyebrows with the magistrate asking him whether he was sure of what he was saying. Just before Rodoligo, Micallef had told the court that he found no trace of the file on the agency system or in the archives. The court then ordered Mi- callef to reiterate what he had said in the presence of Rodoligo. Micallef again confirmed that he had not found the file he had been tasked to look up a week ago. Micallef had been given a list of names to look up. Woman denies being married to accused Another witness was an Eng- lish woman, who was supposed- ly married to the accused. She said that in 2022 an official from Identity Malta, as the agency was known then, called to ask her whether she had sponsored any family member to take up resi- dence in Malta. She denied the claim via email and heard nothing else until re- ceiving a more recent call from Inspector Lara Butters from the police Immigration Unit, who asked whether she was married and whether she had ever trav- elled to Egypt or had Egyptian relatives. The woman testified that she had nothing to do with any Egyp- tian nationals, denying ever being married to the accused. This case, like two others in which Egyptian men admitted guilt and were sentenced to six months in prison, came to light after an internal investigation by Identità's Compliance Unit. The case was then passed on to the police for further investiga- tion. Former official inputted application details in computer Under oath, Butters confirmed the residence permit was issued on false premises by speaking to the woman because there was no file at Identità. She testified that there was only an application on the computer. Pressed by the defence lawyer, Butters conceded that Identità official, Maria Spiteri, who used to work at the agency's expatri- ates section, inputted application details on the computer system. Of note is the fact that in re- plies to questions by MaltaToday Identità had refrained from say- ing whether its internal investi- gation into the racket had flagged wrongdoing by its own officials. The agency would only say that it is cooperating with an ongoing police investigation. Inspector Hubert Gerada testi- fied that Darwish entered Malta irregularly in August 2018 as part of a group of 59 people rescued at sea. He had no personal doc- uments but only a Samsung mo- bile phone. Nonetheless, in June 2022, Darwish travelled to Istan- bul with an Egyptian passport and a Maltese residence permit. A representative from the Inter- national Protection Agency said that the accused's application for asylum status was rejected and was still subject to appeal. The accused's residence permit was revoked after it turned out that it was allegedly obtained by means of a false declaration. The court upheld a request for bail with the owner of a barber shop where Darwish was regular- ly employed, stepped in as guar- antor. The accused's employer was to secure a €5,000 third-par- ty guarantee over and above a €10,000 personal guarantee bind- ing the accused. Inspector Lara Butters and Christian Abela prosecuted. Law- yers Nicholas Mifsud and Tiziana Micallef appeared for Darwish. The case continues. Court orders Identità officials to be investigated over conflicting testimony SmartLynx Airlines Malta becomes a member of IATA SMARTLYNX Airlines Malta, a part of SmartLynx Airlines, a globally acknowledged ACMI, cargo, and charter provider, has officially become a mem- ber of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). SmartLynx Airlines Malta has been on the IOSA (IA- TA Operational Safety Audit) registry since 2019. Joining the IATA global community allows SmartLynx to partici- pate in shaping the industry's priorities and initiatives, in- cluding safety and sustaina- bility. Edvinas Demenius, CEO of SmartLynx Airlines, said: "As one of the global lead- ers in the ACMI industry, our commitment to continu- al improvement is essential. Joining the IATA community marks a significant milestone for us, opening new opportu- nities for cooperation and de- velopment. We look forward to contributing our 32 years of experience to the industry dialogue aiming to shape the ever-evolving landscape of aviation." As a membership require- ment, airlines must comply with the IOSA standards, the benchmark for global airline safety management. Founded in 1945, IATA now represents 330 airlines in over 120 countries. Carrying 80% of the world's air traffic, IATA members include the world's leading passenger and cargo airlines. By joining IATA, SmartLynx Airlines Malta becomes a member of a worldwide com- munity committed to improv- ing the efficiency, safety, and reliability of aviation services.