Witness says minister ordered CCTV handover in Shamman case
Shamman’s family has accused Minister Ihsan of influencing his arrest on charges of fraud and robbery.
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A witness told the Criminal Court on Wednesday that Home Minister Ali Ihsan instructed Immigration to provide CCTV footage to police in connection with an investigation into alleged extortion by former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamman.
Shamman’s family has accused Minister Ihsan of influencing his arrest on charges of fraud and robbery. When Ihsan appeared before Parliament, some MPs questioned him about the matter. Ihsan said he and Shamman had worked closely in the past and denied that the arrest stemmed from any personal dispute.
The Immigration officer who handed over the CCTV footage to police testified that the instruction came through the Immigration ICT Section and that the order was relayed as coming from Minister Ihsan.
The prosecution-presented witness said:
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He received instructions from the Head of the ICT Section
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The Head of ICT informed him that Minister Ihsan had asked for the footage to be handed over for the police investigation
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He understood the instruction as coming from both the Minister and the police
During cross-examination, Shamman's defence counsel, Noorul Salam, asked whether this was the proper procedure for providing CCTV footage to police. The witness replied that normally police would contact them directly, but that in urgent situations instructions could come from the Minister or the Commissioner of Police.
When asked to give details of other instances where the Minister had ordered CCTV footage to be handed over, the witness said he did not recall any.
The prosecution then asked whether the witness had received any direct instruction from the Minister. He confirmed that the Minister had not contacted him personally.
The testimony of the Immigration officer was followed by that of a police officer who analysed the CCTV footage. Police officers present at the location during the alleged incident are scheduled to testify later in the day.
Shamman, the first Immigration Controller appointed under the current government, has been charged in connection with an operation in which foreign workers were allegedly detained unlawfully and money was taken from one of them. Five individuals, including Shamman, have been charged.
Charges filed:
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Mohamed Shamman: Abuse of official position, participation in robbery, and money laundering
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Ibrahim Ahmed (G. Happyside): Robbery, unauthorised possession of another’s property, abuse of official status, and money laundering
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Ahmed Lassan (M. Hazareevilla): Robbery and abuse of official status
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Mohamed Alson Ismail (Moonimage/Th. Buruni): Misuse of official position
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Hassan Seheshan (G. Happyside): Participation in robbery and abuse of official status
Alson has pleaded guilty and entered into an agreement with the state. He was sentenced on Sunday according to the plea deal.
According to the indictment, the Immigration Risk Section ordered the release of a foreigner while confiscating MVR 500,000. The foreigner was allegedly threatened with further action if he did not leave Maldives.
The money was reportedly handed over to Shamman at 3pm on 13 March 2025. He allegedly accepted MVR 400,000 and retained it. On the same day, MVR 149,491.46 was deposited into one Bank of Maldives loan account and MVR 110,345.59 into another.
The trial continues.
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