Malta court overturns German captain's migrant conviction

A Maltese appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction against the German captain of a private ship that rescues migrants in the Mediterranean Sea.

Claus Peter Reisch had been found guilty in May of not having the ship registration in order and with entering Maltese waters without a permit. The Court of Criminal Appeal ruled that the captain did not have the specific intent to break the law, and overturned the original judgment, revoking the 10,000-euro fine.

The Mission Lifeline vessel had been carrying 234 migrants in June 2018. The rescue had caused an international dispute and the vessel was later allowed to dock in Malta and the migrants were distributed among EU states.