A Guinean man told jurors how he handed over all his savings to a Sudanese man he met at the Ħal Far tent village after he promised to take him to Italy by boat for €850.

They paid for it using the savings from the odd jobs they did in Malta

When the trip did not materialise and he heard that the Sudanese man was going to leave Malta on a resettlement programme to France, he informed the police about what happened.

Amadou Balde was testifying in the jury trial of 61-year-old Adam Hasan Mohammed Khemis, from Sudan, before Mr Justice Michael Mallia.

Mr Khemis is pleading not guilty to his alleged involvement in helping a group of immigrants attempt to leave Malta for Italy illegally three years ago.

Mr Balde said he arrived in Malta in September 2007 and, after spending time in detention, he moved to Ħal Far. On May 19, 2009, Mr Khemis approached him and a group of about 14 men and said he could take them to Italy for €850 each.

Mr Balde said he paid him immediately as the trip was planned for that same night. The plan was to leave Malta at 11pm and be in Italy by 2am the following day.

Asked where he got the money from, he said he had saved it from the €130 monthly allowance he received from the Government. He only spent €10 a month since he had free food and lodging and saved the rest.

“When I came to Malta I found I did not have enough protection, so I wanted to go to Italy to be safer,” he said.

Police Inspector Priscilla Caruana said that, on July 8, 2009, several immigrants who lived at the Ħal Far tent village filed a report claiming they had given money to Mr Khemis to take them to Italy but the trip never materialised.

The migrants filed the report after hearing that Mr Khemis was about to leave for France.

The police verified that Mr Khemis was booked on a flight to France scheduled for the following day. Immigration police went to the airport to arrest him but he did not turn up. He was eventually tracked down in December and arrested.

Police Inspector Edel Mary Camilleri, from the immigration section, said that migrants who handed over their money to Mr Khemis claimed to have given him all their savings.

“They were told it would be the journey of a lifetime. They paid for it using the savings from the odd jobs they did in Malta,” she said.

The trial continues this morning.

The prosecution is led by lawyer Aaron Bugeja, head of the criminal section within the Attorney General’s office. He is assisted by lawyer Giannella Busuttil.

Lawyer Malcolm Mifsud is representing the accused.