Shamaan released as key witness testimonies completed, risk of interference reduced: PG

Prosecutor General’s Office (PG) said it requested the conditional release of former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed after determining that the risk of influencing evidence had been sufficiently reduced.

Shamaan was arrested in March and remanded in custody pending trial over allegations that MVR 500,000 was taken from an expatriate who had been detained by Immigration.

At a hearing held at the Criminal Court on Thursday, the prosecution requested Shamaan’s release on bail. The court granted the request and released him under conditions.

In a statement issued after the hearing, the PGO said that testimony from key witnesses, including Immigration employees and expatriates had already been taken as part of efforts to prove the charges against Shamaan.

“Therefore, this office considers that the possibility of tampering with evidence can be adequately reduced by the conditional release of Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, and we requested the Criminal Court to release him on conditional bail under Article 66 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” the statement said.

Shamaan was released under conditions requiring him to appear in court when summoned and not to influence evidence or witnesses. A travel ban was also imposed, as requested by the prosecution.