The Criminal Court has scheduled the sentencing hearing for former Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Shamman Waheed, for 4:00 pm today.

The verdict was initially scheduled to be delivered on 21 May but was postponed after Shamaan's defence lawyer was reported to be overseas.

Shamman faces three charges brought by the prosecution: extortion, abuse of official position and money laundering. He has denied all charges.

The State accuses Shamman of extorting MVR 500,000 from a detained foreigner and keeping MVR 400,000 from this in his possession. It claims that Shamman used these funds to pay MVR 149,491.46 for a student loan taken in his name, and MVR 110,345.59 for a separate loan.   

The charges against Shamman state that of the foreigners who were detained, one who had been detained with MVR 530,000 had been released in the early hours of the next night on Shamman's orders. Then, Immigration staff who had inspected the expat accommodation had met the released detainee on the street, taken the money from him, and taken it to Shamman's residence.

The State has also appealed to the court to seize for the State MVR 250,000 of the suspected laundered money that was seized at Shamman's apartment, and so seize from the funds confiscated by police the remaining MVR 150,000 of the MVR 400,000 Shamman is accused of having held on to.

The State has also asked the court to recover the funds Shamman is accused of having extorted from the expatriate.