Witness testifies Shamman demanded MVR 500,000 for release

A witness told the Criminal Court on Thursday that he was released from immigration custody after former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamman Waheed allegedly contacted an immigration officer, issued threats, and obtained MVR 500,000 in exchange for his release.

Shamman, the first Immigration Controller appointed under the current government, was dismissed from his post and arrested on 22 March. Four other immigration officers were also arrested in connection with the case.

The prosecution has alleged that Shamman, in collaboration with other immigration officers, carried out an illegal operation in which a group of foreign workers was detained and MVR 530,000 was extorted from one individual.

One of the witnesses who testified on Thursday was a Bangladeshi national identified as Mainuddin. He told the court that on a night during Ramadan, immigration officers entered his residence, searched the premises, and took him and several other foreigners to the immigration detention centre.

Mainuddin testified that he was later taken from the centre, placed in a vehicle, and threatened. He said a dark-skinned, slim-built immigration officer informed him that he was required to pay MVR 500,000. The witness indicated that the officer was Ibrahim Ahmed, one of the accused.

According to the testimony, the officer made a phone call and then showed Mainuddin a photograph of the caller, which he identified as Shamman. The caller told him that he was the head of immigration and that Mainuddin would be released if he paid MVR 500,000. He was also told that failure to pay would result in his return to detention.

Mainuddin said he placed the money in a white bag and handed it to the immigration officer. He stated that he later returned to Bangladesh with the remaining MVR 30,000.

During cross-examination, defence counsel Noorussalam questioned the witness about his credibility. The defence asked about land transactions carried out by the witness, as well as an earlier incident in which he was allegedly threatened and robbed from a vehicle. When asked why he did not contact the vehicle owner or seek medical attention, Mainuddin said he was afraid and did not pursue the matter.

Another witness, immigration officer Ahmed Lassan, also testified on Thursday. Appearing in court in prison attire, Lassan said the Bangladeshi national was taken to his residence after being released from detention.

Lassan testified that after the foreigner’s release, officer Ibrahim Ahmed brought a white bag and instructed him to deliver it to Shamman. He said Ibrahim Ahmed opened the bag in the lift of the building where Shamman lived and that the bag contained a large sum of money.

According to Lassan, Shamman accepted the bag at his apartment door and removed two bundles of cash, which he handed back to Ibrahim Ahmed. Lassan said he did not know the total amount of money in the bag.

Lassan has pleaded guilty in the case and has already been sentenced. Another accused, Mohamed Alsan Ismail of Moonimage, Th. Buruni, has also pleaded guilty to the charges.