A Birmingham-based Somali healthcare worker has been jailed for 18 months after helping her sister enter Ireland using another person’s Swedish passport. Her defence said the woman was fleeing Somalia to escape a forced marriage.
DUBLIN (Somali Report) — An Irish court has sentenced Muna Mohamed Sharif, a 47-year-old healthcare worker living in Birmingham, United Kingdom, to 18 months in prison after she admitted helping a Somali woman enter Ireland illegally using a Swedish passport belonging to another person.
The incident occurred on 10 April 2026 when the two women arrived at Dublin Airport. Although they passed through immigration separately, border officers became suspicious after observing that they appeared to know one another and maintained eye contact while clearing passport control.
Investigators later established that the Somali woman had travelled using what is commonly known as a “lookalike passport”—a genuine passport issued to another person who closely resembles the individual using it. Unlike forged documents, lookalike passports rely on physical resemblance to evade immigration controls.
The investigation, led by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), found that Sharif had supplied the passport to the woman. Officers also recovered messages from Sharif’s mobile phone linking her to the passport and communications with its lawful owner.
After entering Ireland, the Somali woman submitted an application for International Protection (asylum).
During sentencing, Sharif’s defence argued that she had acted out of compassion rather than financial gain. Lawyers told the court that the woman was her sister and claimed she was fleeing a forced marriage in Somalia.
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Prosecutors maintained that knowingly facilitating illegal entry into Ireland using another person’s travel document was a serious offence that undermined the integrity of the country’s immigration system. They argued that strict enforcement of people-smuggling laws is essential to protecting Ireland’s borders and maintaining confidence in immigration controls.
The judge acknowledged the humanitarian arguments presented by the defence but ruled that the deliberate use of another person’s passport warranted a custodial sentence. Sharif was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The case comes as Irish courts continue to examine other immigration matters involving Somali nationals.
In a separate High Court ruling, two Somali nationals were awarded legal costs after the State failed to enforce return orders within the statutory six-month period, rendering their judicial review challenges moot.
Justice Anthony Barr ruled that both applicants were entitled to recover their legal costs because the proceedings became inoperable due to the State’s failure to execute the return orders on time. The court noted that the Minister for Justice had not complied with the legal deadline but offered no explanation for the delay.
Describing the failure as a “unilateral” omission by the State, the judge held that neither applicant had acted in a way that would deprive them of their entitlement to costs.
About the Author
Mohamed Farah is a senior editor at Somali Report, based in London, covering geopolitics, trade, business, and security across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
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