A Brazilian footballer who tried to leave Malta by presenting a false COVID-19 test certificate has ended up with a suspended prison sentence after being caught at the airport.

Carlos Vilmar Da Silva Rodrigues, 33, wanted to leave the country his plans to play for a local football team faltered after he failed to agree on financial terms with the club. 

Rodrigues then underwent a COVID-19 test on Tuesday, knowing that a negative test result was necessary for him to travel out of Malta that Friday. 

When no test result was available by that day, the man turned up at the Malta International Airport at around 5:30pm with a COVID-19 test certificate which, however, turned out to be false. 

He was arrested and escorted to court on Saturday morning, charged with knowingly making a false declaration to airport authorities and also with using a false document. 

The accused immediately admitted to the alleged wrongdoing.

In view of that admission and also after being told that the man had cooperated with the police, the court, presided over by magistrate Gabriella Vella, declared him guilty and condemned him to a one-year jail term suspended for four years. 

Inspector Silvio Magro prosecuted.
Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett was defence counsel. 

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