Maltese man wanted in Germany for alleged handling a stolen car
He was initially stopped in Germany, then allowed to travel
A 35-year-old man who is wanted in Germany for allegedly handling a stolen vehicle and possession of 1g of cannabis, has been granted bail after objecting to an application for his extradition.
Dairon Cishahayo, from Birkirkara, is wanted by a court in Memmingen, to face prosecution.
He was stopped in Germany after he allegedly bought a car for €30,000 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. At the time he was found to be carrying 1g of cannabis. He handed a British registration document which allegedly served to conceal that the vehicle had been stolen, prosecutors said. Cishahayo was not arrested at the time.
Police inspector Roderick Spiteri explained that the Malta police received a European Arrest Warrant against Cishahayo, who was arrested on Monday morning at his residence.
Defence lawyer Matthew Xuereb suggested that the man had already paid a fine over the same facts he was set to face criminal prosecution for if extradited.
Xuereb requested bail. Spiteri objected, arguing that the proceedings were still at an early stage and that extradition proceedings have specific timelines with in which the case has to be decided. The police inspector underlined that these are serious offences.
Xuereb countered that in this case there was no fear that is client would tamper with the evidence as local courts would not delve into the merits of the case. He insisted that his client had already served the punishment, and after paying the fine on March 10, 2025, the German authorities never contacted him again. The lawyer observed that his client was allegedly found with 1g of cannabis, an amount which has been decriminalised in Malta. He argued that had the German authorities tried to contact him, he would have turned up in Germany without having to issue a European Arrest Warrant.
The court granted the man bail, ordering him to sign the bail book every day. A curfew was imposed and his sister informed the court that she was willing to step in as a third-party guarantor for the sum of €30,000.
He will remain under preventive custody until the guarantor is declared as suitable by the court.
Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia presided the court. Police inspector Roderick Spiteri prosecuted, while lawyer Maria Zerafa Le-Gros appeared for the Attorney General as the Central Authority in extradition proceedings. Lawyer Matthew Xuereb appeared for the requested person.