Two minors who set out from the Ħal Far Tent Village in the hope of reuniting with their families abroad landed in court instead, after they were discovered on board an outbound vessel in breach of immigration laws. 

The two Tunisian migrants, assisted by an interpreter and watched over by two AWAS officials, who stepped in as their legal guardians, were escorted to court on Friday under arrest, following their botched attempt on Thursday. 

Prosecuting Inspector Hubert Gerada explained that the two stowaways had been caught out on board a Tirrenia vessel, headed to Catania.

The youths, currently in the process of obtaining refugee status in Malta, had apparently been desperately seeking to reunite with other family members living in France and Italy. 

Their lawyer, Ibtisam Sadegh, explained that the accused were young and vulnerable and had been through great difficulties, adding that it was only on Friday morning that the two had been assigned legal guardians. 

At that stage, two female officials from AWAS, were asked to step forward, supplying their personal details to the court, while the youths sat at the dock, listening attentively to their Arab interpreter, looking rather lost. 

After hearing submissions by both parties and after being told that efforts were being made to reunite the youngsters with their families, the court, presided over by magistrate Charmaine Galea, declared them guilty upon their own admission and handed each a one-month jail term suspended for one year. 

As the court’s decision was explained to them, one of the minors burst into tears.