Guilty of forgery

A Ukrainian woman who suspected that a stamp on her passport had been forged and went to the police to check up on it ended in court on a forgery charge, a court heard yesterday.

Galyna Palamaryuk, 42, went to the police freely, Magistrate Abigail Lofaro heard, after she suspected that the stamp on her passport was not really a valid work permit.

She had given her passport to be stamped to an individual who had offered to obtain a work permit for her but it eventually dawned on her that a stamp on her passport might not constitute a valid permit.

Palamaryuk went to the police and was detained, her lawyer said.

She yesterday pleaded guilty to two counts of forgery on and before Monday and was given a 12-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

The prosecution yesterday agreed that Palamaryuk had informed the police herself and had revealed the identity of the man who had offered to obtain a work permit for her.

Police Inspector Neville Xuereb prosecuted.

Dr Joseph Giglio appeared for Palamaryuk.