Minister asked police to obtain CCTV footage in Shamaan case: Wtness

A witness testified today that Home Minister Ali Ihusan instructed the police to obtain CCTV footage related to the alleged misconduct of former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan, who is currently on trial for abuse of office, extortion, and money laundering.

Shamaan was removed from his post and arrested in March after he allegedly extorted MVR 500,000 from an expatriate detained by Immigration. He remains in custody pending trial.

An immigration officer who handed over the CCTV footage testified before the Criminal Court today. He said the head of the ICT section contacted him and instructed that the footage be provided to the police, citing a request from Minister Ihusan.

Shamaan’s lawyer, Noorul Salaam Abubakr, questioned whether this was the official procedure. The witness said that while requests normally come directly from the police, footage is sometimes shared at the request of senior police officers or the minister depending on time and circumstances.

When prosecutors asked whether the minister contacted him directly, the witness repeated that he did not receive a call from Ihusan himself.

Testimony was also heard from several police officers who attended the scene.

Shamaan’s family has publicly accused Minister Ihusan of influencing the arrest, alleging that the minister acted because Shamaan possessed a video of him. However, the family has not detailed that claim. Ihusan has denied any personal motive in the arrest.

According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Shamaan ordered the release of the foreigner detained by the Immigration Risk Section and then demanded MVR 500,000 from him. The expatriate was threatened with further action if he did not leave Maldives, PG Office said.

Officers who took the money from the expatriate said they handed the money to Shamaan on March 13, 2025. Shamaan allegedly kept MVR 400,000 and used part of the funds to repay two student loans, depositing MVR 149,491.46 into one loan account and MVR 110,345.59 into another at the Bank of Maldives, the allegation said.