Criminal Court Rejects Plea Deal in Shifau Fraud Case

The Criminal Court has declined to approve a plea agreement between the Prosecutor General’s Office and Hussain Shifau, a defendant accused of orchestrating fraudulent telegraphic transfers (TT) to overseas companies totalling USD 123,844.54 (approximately MVR 1.9 million).

At a hearing last week, Judge Ali Nadheem ruled that the proposed agreement did not reflect the nature and seriousness of the alleged offences or the findings set out in the investigation report. He also noted the absence of any guarantee that victims would be compensated, and therefore refused to ratify the deal. The case will proceed to conclusion on the existing charges.

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Shifau faces 23 counts and a potential custodial sentence of up to 38 years. Under the plea terms filed in court, 16 counts — including money laundering and knowingly falsifying documents — were to be withdrawn. Shifau admitted guilt to seven counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony, with a proposed sentence of 88 days’ imprisonment and a fine of MVR 184,600. Because he has already spent more than 88 days in custody, the agreement would have effectively shortened his time behind bars, with the fine enforced as agreed.

Shifau was first apprehended in 2023 over alleged fraudulent business dealings with foreign companies through a private enterprise, Kingdom of Fruits. After an initial court release he left the country, was later re-arrested and had his passport confiscated. While his cases were pending, he was appointed Senior Political Director at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare; he was removed from the post after the matter became public.

With the plea deal rejected, the trial will continue on the present indictment and is expected to move to judgement once proceedings conclude.