Mohamed Shamman Waheed, who was dismissed from the position of Controller of Immigration, has stated that criminal charges were raised and his sentence is being delivered today without any evidence, and that this is being done by generating a case through various deals offered by the state to other accused individuals.

Speaking to the media outside the court after arriving for the sentencing hearing of the three charges raised against him, Shamman said that his trial is being conducted by framing him and by using specific individuals.

He directed most of his allegations at Home Minister Ali Ihusaan. Ihusaan has previously denied these allegations as well.

Shamman stated that in order to press charges against him, a group of people were arrested along with him, and the state offered them deals under the guise of various leniencies. Shamman said that the state granted them those leniencies on the condition that they provide statements against him.

"They used everyone to do everything possible to reel me into this. That is what happened," Shamman said.

Shamman stated that there is no evidence against him and that this is a sentence being delivered against him by the court directly under instructions from state officials. According to him, he had also shared the fact that things were happening this way with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

However, the Chief Spokesperson at the President's Office, Mohamed Shareef (Mundhu), stated that what Shamman said regarding the President is an absolute lie.

Shamman stated that it includes acts of corruption that the Home Minister is alleged to be carrying out. Shamman said that upon sharing these matters with the President, he had to face this trial.

While entering the court, Shamman disclosed his current opposition to this government and called for efforts to change the administration.

Four Immigration officers were arrested along with Shamman. Since they confessed to the charges, the court delivered very lenient sentences to them. Some of those officers also provided testimony against Shamman.

In the case today, the court sentenced Shamman to 25 years in prison, as the charges of complicity in robbery, abuse of official capacity, and money laundering pressed against him were proven.

This consists of a 15-year prison sentence for the offense of money laundering, an eight-year prison sentence as a penalty for the charge of complicity in robbery, and a two-year prison sentence as a penalty for the abuse of official capacity.

Shamman spent nine months and 10 days in prison during the investigation and trial phases of the case. Therefore, the verdict directed that this duration be deducted from his sentence.

The state alleges that when a foreign national was detained, Shamman robbed MVR 500,000 confiscated from him and kept MVR 400,000 of it in his possession. The charges against Shamman also stated that to make payments towards two student loans taken in Shamman's name, MVR 149,491.46 was deposited into a Bank of Maldives loan account and MVR 110,345.59 was deposited into another loan account.

The charges against Shamman state that among the detained expatriates, a foreign national who was brought to detention along with MVR 530,000 was released one day later during late-night hours under Shamman's orders. It also states that the Immigration staff who searched the house where the expatriates lived met the released foreign national on the street, and those officers went to the building where Shamman resides while carrying that money.

Among the funds that Shamman is accused of laundering, the lawsuit requested the confiscation of MVR 250,000 taken into police custody from his house to the state, and to confiscate an amount equivalent to the remaining MVR 150,000 out of the total MVR 400,000 kept by Shamman from the money taken into police custody from his house.

The state also requested the recovery of compensation for the money allegedly robbed from the foreign national.