High Court Upholds Remand of Former Immigration Controller in Bribery Case
Former Controller of Immigration Shamman Waheed | Photo: Maldives Immigration
The High Court has upheld a decision by the Criminal Court to keep former Controller of Immigration, Shamman Waheed, in custody until the conclusion of his trial.
He had appealed against two remand orders issued by the lower court following his arrest on 22 March in connection with bribery allegations.
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Shamman was dismissed from his post after the allegations emerged. The Criminal Court initially remanded him for 15 days, before extending the order to keep him in custody until the end of the trial. Both decisions were challenged at the High Court.
In its ruling, a three-judge panel concluded that the defence had failed to demonstrate that the remand order breached legal procedures or applicable laws. The panel, comprising Justice Abdul Maniu, Justice Mohamed Niyaz, and Chief Justice Hassan Shafeeu, delivered a unanimous verdict.
The High Court also ruled that the police investigation into suspected money laundering could proceed separately from the ongoing corruption probe.
As part of the wider investigation, police have seized the phone of Shamman’s wife, Hidfa Faiz, and confiscated passports belonging to two other individuals, whose identities have not been disclosed. Authorities have also arrested four additional officers from the Department of Immigration in connection with the case.
Police allege that the officers involved used their positions to conduct a search at a residence occupied by foreign nationals, detaining several individuals in the process. The detainees were taken to the Immigration Detention Centre along with MVR 530,000.
According to police, one of the foreign nationals was released later that night, allegedly on Shamman’s instructions. The officers reportedly met this individual again on the street and delivered money to Shamman’s residence.
A significant sum of cash and several electronic devices have been seized from Shamman’s home during the investigation, which remains ongoing.
