Court Issues Lenient Sentence for Expat Linked to Illegal Recruitment Network

The Criminal Court has issued a relatively lenient sentence to an expatriate man involved in an illegal recruitment network, following a plea agreement in which he admitted to money laundering and bribery offences connected to the trafficking of foreign workers into the Maldives.

The defendant, Shahadath Hussain, had originally entered the country on 1 October 2019 as an account assistant with a monthly salary of USD 2,000, employed by a private company, Multi Root Pvt Ltd. His visa was renewed two years later in November 2021, during which time he was employed as an office boy with a salary of USD 3,000. However, after his visa later expired, he remained in the Maldives illegally and was eventually found to be operating an unlawful employment agency.

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Prosecutors said he exploited the work quota system to bring expatriates into the country and obtain work visas through fraudulent means. He was also accused of posing illegally as a representative for employers and private individuals. According to the Criminal Court judgment last week, Shahadath had bribed several immigration officers as part of the scheme.

The state initially filed five charges against him, including money laundering, bribery and two counts of knowingly providing false documents. Investigators found that Shahadath had received MVR 8.1 million through the illegal operation, with the funds deposited into accounts registered in his name.

Shahadath pleaded guilty and entered into a plea deal, leading the state to withdraw three charges. Last week, the court convicted him of money laundering and bribery, both of which carry significantly harsher penalties under standard sentencing guidelines.

Although money laundering is punishable by five to 15 years in prison and fines ranging from MVR 10,000 to MVR 10 million, the court sentenced Shahadath to two years and six months in prison and issued a MVR 53,400 fine in line with the plea agreement.

For the bribery charge—normally warranting three years, two months and 12 days in prison—he received a reduced sentence of six months and was fined MVR 21,600.

Having already spent 10 months and 17 days in custody, Shahadath’s remaining sentence amounts to one year, seven months and 12 days. He was also ordered to pay a total of MVR 75,000 in fines within six months, according to the Criminal Court verdict.

While prosecutors sought the recovery of the MVR 8.1 million linked to the scheme, neither the plea agreement nor the court’s judgment addressed asset forfeiture.

Police said Shahadath had been residing in a two-room apartment rented for MVR 18,000 per month prior to his arrest. Forensic analysis of his laptop and mobile phone revealed company signatures, registration documents, official stamps, copies of expatriates’ passports and images of Maldivian ID cards. His browsing history also showed repeated visits to work-permit processing websites.

According to police, evidence suggests Shahadath was part of a larger network involved in smuggling people into the Maldives. Investigations into the wider group remain ongoing.