Two Ukrainian women who moved to Malta to escape the war in their home country were fined €10 each and slapped with a suspended prison sentence after they pleading guilty to running a Pietá massage parlour for the purposes of prostitution.

The women, aged 41 and 46, were discovered when the police conducted a surprise inspection of the Pietá establishment on Monday and found evidence that it was being used for prostitution.

They were taken into custody and brought to court today, where they were charged with running a brothel and allowing the shop to be used for prostitution or other immoral activities.

With the assistance of two interpreters, the women pleaded guilty.

Their lawyer, Matthew Xuereb, explained that both women had fled their homeland due to the war and came to Malta to find work.

Both were mothers, and some of their children were serving in the military in their homeland’s ongoing conflict.

Xuereb requested a ban on the publication of the women’s names due to ongoing police investigations and the fact that they had minor children, and court agreed to the request in the interests of justice.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit sentenced each woman to a one-year prison suspended for three years and a fine of €10 each.

The prosecution was handled by Inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Mark Cremona.