Immigration officer Ibrahim sentenced to 11 months after pleading guilty on three charges

Immigration officer Ibrahim Ahmed has been sentenced to 11 months in prison after pleading guilty to three charges related to the abuse of his official position to unlawfully obtain money from expatriates.

Ibrahim was charged with abuse of official position, burglary, and unauthorized possession of another person’s property. He entered into a plea agreement with the state, which was accepted by the Criminal Court. The case was concluded as an expedited trial, with the court delivering its ruling last week.

Based on his confession, the court found Ibrahim guilty on all three counts.

For abuse of official position, Ibrahim was sentenced to one year and 12 days in prison. Of this sentence, two months were to be served in jail, while the remainder was converted to a fine of MVR 62,400.

On the burglary charge, he was sentenced to two years, four months and 24 days in prison. The court ordered seven months to be served in jail, with the remaining sentence commuted to a fine of MVR 130,800. He was also ordered to pay MVR 50,000 in compensation to an expatriate victim.

For unauthorized possession of another person’s property, Ibrahim received a sentence of one year and 12 days in prison, with two months to be served and the rest converted to a fine of MVR 62,400. In addition, the court ordered him to pay USD 3,500 in damages to an expatriate.

The combined prison sentences amount to 11 months in prison.

Ibrahim was arrested along with three other immigration officers and former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan in connection with the case. Shamaan has pleaded not guilty, and while the testimony phase of his trial has concluded, he has since been released from custody.

The prosecution alleges that after an expatriate was taken into immigration custody and later released, Ibrahim and other officers extorted more than MVR 500,000 from him and transported the money to Shamaan’s residence.

Police previously said the operation was carried out by immigration employees from sections other than the Immigration Task Force and Risk Management unit, abusing their official influence. According to investigators, one expatriate found with MVR 530,000 was released around midnight the following day on orders from the then Immigration Controller Shamaan. Investigators also allege that officers who searched the expatriate’s residence later met him on the street and transported the money to the residence where Shamaan was staying.

The prosecution has also entered plea agreements with Lassan and Alsan in the same case. Alsan was sentenced to two months and three days in prison and fined MVR 45,000.