A man who paid €15,000 for a tampered passport to travel from Turkey to Ireland in search of a better life was jailed for six months after being arrested at the Malta International Airport.

Details about the 32-year-old's travel plans emerged in court on Friday.

Husam Hamad, an Iraqi national, was caught out by immigration authorities at the airport on Thursday. The man was about to catch a flight to Ireland which, being a non-Schengen country, meant that passengers’ documents were scrutinised prior to departure.

The police were alerted about a passenger with suspicious Australian passport.

The passenger was taken into police custody where he released a statement after consulting a legal aid lawyer, explaining that he had bought the passport in Turkey for €15,000.

He had travelled from Turkey to Greece and then to Malta from where he was meant to reach his final destination Ireland, where living and work conditions appeared to be better and where it was easier for his family to join him. 

The route had been set out by the smuggler who provided him with the passport, the man had told police. 

The passport photo had been tampered with in such a manner as to make it resemble the accused. 

"The higher the price, the better the quality," the prosecuting inspector told the court. 

The man carrying that tampered document pleaded guilty to tampering as well as knowingly making use of and possessing that document without legitimate authorisation. 

He confirmed his guilty plea when given time to reconsider.

The prosecution suggested a minimum term of effective imprisonment in light of the fact that the accused had an untainted criminal record. 

After hearing submissions, the court, presided by Magistrate Victor George Axiak, condemned the accused to a six-month effective jail term. 

Lawyer Yanika Bugeja was legal aid counsel.