Three airline passengers were each fined €800 on Sunday after presenting fake COVID-19 test certificates when they were about to fly out of Malta earlier in the day.

Nuder Man and his wife Gallis Geb Miklina, a Moscow-born couple, were due to catch a Turkish Airlines flight at 9am, but were stopped by officials at Malta International Airport, after presenting false certificates.

They were arrested and taken to court, where they pleaded guilty to having made a false declaration to airport authorities and also making use of a false document.

They had apparently got to know that the airline was asking passengers for a COVID-19 test result and, since it was too late to go through the procedure in time for their flight, they got false certificates instead, they said. 

Upon their admission, Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit fined the couple €800 each.

Another passenger, French national Sayn Gullayme Jules Pierre, also landed on the wrong side of the law when he obtained a false COVID-19 test certificate after the result for a test he took did not arrive in time for his flight.  

The man also registered an admission and was fined €800.

These arraignments followed hot on the heels of a similar case on Saturday, when a Brazilian footballer landed a suspended sentence after admitting upon arraignment to using a false certificate when attempting to fly out of Malta.

Inspector Frankie Sammut prosecuted.

Lawyer Charmaine Cherrett was defence counsel.