Shamaan’s charges are politically motivated: lawyer

The charges against former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed are politically and personally motivated, his lawyer Noorul Salam Abubakuru said today.

Shamaan was arrested in March and later charged with abuse of official position, theft, and money laundering for allegedly taking MVR 500,000 from a foreigner who was released from immigration custody in collusion with other staff.

The court earlier ordered that he remain in custody pending trial.

According to the prosecution, the foreigner had been taken into custody by officers under Shamaan's supervision. He was later released in the middle of the night after being issued an invalid release letter.

The man was allegedly taken to an immigration vehicle, had his money confiscated, and was told to leave the country. The money was later taken to Shamaan’s residence, where MVR 400,000 was allegedly kept, and two of his loans were repaid that day, prosecutors said.

However, Shamaan’s lawyer rejected the claims, saying the case was a “political and personal orchestration” involving Ahmed Lassan, another suspect who has since been released after a plea agreement with the prosecution.

The defense maintains that Shamaan had only asked Lassan to verify reports of foreigners staying illegally and immediately informed immigration officials when he learned that Lassan had gone there himself.

The trial began today after the court ruled the case could proceed on a civil basis. At the hearing, the landlord of Shamaan’s rented house testified that police had obtained CCTV footage from him, adding that while the video was shared with investigators, he could not confirm whether others had accessed it before that.

Judge Ibrahim Ihusan said that one of the two men in custody was released on bail due to health concerns and that the court would aim to complete witness testimony by the end of next month.

Shamaan is among several defendants charged in the case, including Ahmed Lassan, Ahmed Shaheshan, Ibrahim Ahmed, and Ahmed Alsan Ismail. Hearings for the other accused will be conducted separately.