Lenient sentence for key expat in illegal migration ring

Criminal Court has issued a two-year prison sentence to a key expatriate figure involved in running an extensive network that illegally brought foreign workers into the Maldives, collaborated with several Maldives Immigration officers, and obtained millions of Rufiyaa in financial gain.

The expatriate arrested from this network, which also involved several Maldivians, is Shahadath Hussain. He was initially brought to the Maldives for cleaning work but was illegally operating an employment agency in the country.

The state initially filed five charges against Shahadath, including:

Shahadath pleaded guilty to the charges and requested a plea bargain with the state. The court accepted the agreement, which resulted in lighter sentences. The agreement stipulated that the state would withdraw three of the charges, leaving only Money Laundering and Bribery.

Shahadath had been in custody for 10 months and 17 days when the verdict was issued, and this period was deducted from his total sentence.

The total prison sentence Shahadath is required to serve is one year, seven months, and 12 days. He was ordered to pay a total fine of MVR 75,000 within six months.

While the money laundering charge alleged that Shahadath illegally earned and laundered MVR 8 million, which the state had sought to recover, the plea agreement did not specify a course of action regarding the money, and the court's final ruling did not determine the fate of the MVR 8 million.

Police investigations revealed the extent of his operation as follows:

The police concluded that this evidence strongly indicated Shahadath was running a very extensive network to bring foreign workers into the Maldives and generate financial gain.