A Serbian man and his pregnant wife were this morning taken to court under arrest over charges of false personal documents, just hours before being repatriated to their homeland.

Marko Vucinic, 37, and Maja Zdravkovic, 27, pleaded guilty to falsifying documents, tampering with their passports and being in possession of falsified documents.

In view of the fact that the accused had filed an early guilty plea, fully cooperated with the police and were due to be sent back to Serbia within hours, the court declared them guilty and condemned them to a six-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

After delivering judgment, Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, explained to the accused, with the assistance of an interpreter, that once repatriated, they were barred from travelling to any EU country for three years.

Violation of this travel ban would spark off the issue of a European Arrest Warrant under which the accused would be brought back to Malta and possibly be made to serve the prison term served upon them today.

Inspector Frankie Sammut prosecuted. Lawyer Benjamin Valenzia was defence counsel.