Ex-immigration chief's arrest challenged over lack of ACC involvement
Police have also arrested four other immigration officers in connection with the same case.
The defence lawyer of former Controller of Immigration Mohamed Shamman Waheed on Monday argued that the police acted outside procedure by arresting his client on corruption charges without involving the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in the investigation.
Shamman was dismissed from his position and arrested on 22nd of last month on charges related to bribery. He was initially remanded in custody for 15 days and has since been ordered by the Criminal Court to remain in custody pending trial.
His lawyer, Noorul Salam, has appealed both arrest warrants at the High Court, claiming they were issued unlawfully. The High Court scheduled both warrants to be reviewed together, but only the first remand order was heard during Monday's session.
At the hearing, the defence raised the issue of ACC’s absence in the case, stating that when allegations involve corruption and money laundering, investigations are usually conducted jointly by the police and the ACC. The defence maintained that the ACC holds the legal authority to investigate corruption-related offences, including abuse of official position.
Responding to the defence’s claim, Ahmed Naufal, representing the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO), stated that investigations involving money laundering fall within police jurisdiction. Naufal said that even when a corruption allegation is present, the police can seek a court order to investigate offences relating to money laundering. However, information relating to the corruption aspect of the case must still be shared with the ACC, which will then decide whether to pursue a parallel investigation.
Police have also arrested four other immigration officers in connection with the same case. Authorities allege that the group misused their positions to raid a residence occupied by foreigners and subsequently detained several individuals. During this operation, MVR 530,000 was reportedly taken into custody along with the detainees.
According to police, one foreigner was released the following night, allegedly under Shamman’s instructions, and was allowed to leave with cash in hand. It is further alleged that immigration staff later met the individual on the street and delivered the cash to Shamman's residence.
Police also reported that a significant sum of money and electronic devices were recovered from Shamman’s home during a subsequent search.
