High Court dismisses appeal on arrest of ex-Immigration chief
During a search of Shamman’s house, police seized a significant amount of cash and electronic devices.
The High Court has dismissed a petition seeking to overturn the Criminal Court’s order to arrest former Immigration Controller Shamman Waheed in connection with an extortion case involving foreign nationals.
Shamman was removed from his position on bribery charges and was arrested last Friday night. The Criminal Court subsequently remanded him in custody for 15 days on Saturday night.
On Sunday, he appealed the arrest warrant at the High Court. However, according to the High Court registry, the case was dismissed the same day.
Shamman’s lawyer argued that the Criminal Court judge had erred in issuing the remand order and had not sufficiently considered the evidence.
In its decision not to admit the case, the High Court registrar stated that an allegation of obstruction of justice alone did not meet the legal criteria for an appeal.
The registrar’s decision outlined the following points:
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If a legal issue exists, it must be clearly defined, which was not done in the appeal.
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No circumstances were presented that warranted the High Court’s intervention in the lower court’s discretionary remand order.
Meanwhile, the police have seized the phone of Shamman’s wife, Hidfa Faiz. Additionally, two passports were confiscated, though the police have not disclosed the identities of the passport holders.
Four other immigration officers have also been arrested in connection with the case. Police allege that:
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The employees used their positions to enter a residence occupied by foreign nationals and detained several individuals.
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The detainees were taken into immigration custody along with MVR 530,000.
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A day later, on Shamman’s instructions, a foreign national was released late at night in exchange for cash.
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The employees later met the foreign national on the street and took the money to Shamman’s residence.
During a search of Shamman’s house, police seized a significant amount of cash and electronic devices.
