Trial begins for Shamman, officers over extortion of expats
The court noted that Ahmed Lassan’s case is proceeding separately as he has entered into a plea agreement with the state.
The Criminal Court on Monday commenced proceedings in the case involving former Controller of Immigration, Shamman Waheed, and four other immigration officers accused of extorting money from expatriate workers.
The charges stem from a police investigation launched on 20 March, which alleged that a group of immigration officials, including Shamman, conducted an unauthorised operation in which foreign workers were arrested and MVR 530,000 was allegedly extorted from one of them.
Five individuals have been charged in the case:
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Shamman Waheed: Abuse of official position, participation in robbery, and money laundering
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Ibrahim Ahmed: Robbery, unauthorised possession of another person’s property, abuse of official position, and money laundering
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Ahmed Lassan: Robbery and abuse of official position
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Mohamed Alsan Ismail: Abuse of official position
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Hassan Seheshan: Participation in robbery and abuse of official position
During the first hearing, presiding Judge Ibrahim Ihsan confirmed that the cases against Shamman, Alsan, and Seheshan were heard, while proceedings for Ibrahim Ahmed and Lassan were handled separately.
The court noted that Ahmed Lassan’s case is proceeding separately as he has entered into a plea agreement with the state. No reason was specified for the separate handling of Ibrahim Ahmed’s case.
The hearing was adjourned without a full response from the defendants as they had not yet been served with case documents. The judge stated that the trial would resume once all defendants have received the required documents. The defendants were also informed of their rights during the session.
Regarding Shamman’s detention, the prosecution informed the court that while detainees are typically held in remand facilities pending trial, Shamman remains in Dhoonidhoo Jail due to space constraints in remand centres. The judge requested the prosecution to provide a written statement explaining the reason for this arrangement.
