A youth who managed to get a Maltese identity card by impersonating another person has ended up getting a 16-month prison sentence after trying to apply for a passport claiming that the one he had was lost. 

Abdulkani Mohamed, 20, a Somali national living in Sliema, was escorted to court on Wednesday afternoon, one day after he turned up at the Identity Malta offices at Ħal Far presenting an ID card that carried the details of a third party along with his own photo.

Further checks with immigration authorities revealed that the applicant was an imposter. 

He had previously managed to obtain an authentic Maltese identity card by making a false declaration.

But when he tried to repeat his act a second time on Tuesday, the boyish-looking youth was fished out.

The authorities realized that the document details and the photo did not match. 

After consulting his legal aid lawyer, the accused admitted to the charges of making a false declaration in a public document to get a personal advantage as well as making use of that document. 

The youth confirmed his guilty plea after the court explained the consequences of that admission and granted him time to reconsider. 

When making submissions on punishment, prosecuting Inspector Jonathan Cassar observed that, prior to his admission, the accused had not cooperated with the police but kept insisting he was the other person who he was impersonating. 

The offences were very serious and could have brought about even more serious consequences had the accused’s actions not been blocked, argued the prosecutor suggesting a minimum effective jail term as adequate punishment. 

The defence countered that the documents had not been obtained through theft but were given to the accused by a friend. 

Moreover, a valid ID card had been issued by Maltese officials who had not bothered to check that the applicant was not the same as the person whose details were presented to them. 

“So it was not completely his fault,” argued the lawyer.

After taking note of those submissions and the circumstances of the case, the court, presided over by Magistrate Elaine Mercieca, condemned the accused to 16 months in jail.

The court also ordered the confiscation of the false document observing that the offences were very serious and could have had repercussions on national security.