The man behind a series of false rent agreements that landed five Columbian nationals in hot water on Wednesday was handed a suspended sentence, fined and ordered to reimburse the victims after apologising upon arraignment on Thursday. 

Alin Mircea, a 38-year-old Romanian manager, working in Paceville and living at Ta’ Giorni, was arrested on Wednesday soon after four men and a woman pleaded guilty to presenting false lease agreements to Identity Malta to secure a residence permit. 

All five had cooperated with investigators, supplying the name, personal details, mobile number and workplace of the person who had provided them with those documents. 

They even showed the police the mobile chats with the man, explained Inspector Eman Hayman who pressed charges against the suspect on Thursday. 

In the presence of the five Columbian nationals as victims in Thursday’s case, Mircea pleaded guilty to falsification of a private writing for his own personal advantage and knowingly making use of such false documents. 

He was also charged with assisting the victims to unlawfully reside in Malta.

After consulting his lawyer, Benjamin Valenzia, the accused registered an admission and apologised for his wrongdoing “both in respect of the victims and the court”.

That apology was taken into consideration when the court, presided over by Magistrate Monica Vella, meted out punishment. 

In light of the accused’s early guilty plea, an effective jail term was not deemed appropriate. 

The accused was condemned to a two-year jail term suspended for four years, and fined €3,000 payable in monthly €100 instalments over two-and-a-half years. 

He was also ordered to refund €350 to each of his five victims within six months and was placed under a one-year restraining order. 

Meanwhile, the Columbian nationals are being detained pending their repatriation in line with the directions issued to immigration authorities by the court during their arraignment on Wednesday.