Ex-immigration controller Shamman sentenced to 25 years in prison
Shamman, who served as the first Controller of Immigration under the current administration, was dismissed from office and arrested on 22 March 2025.
Top Stories
The Criminal Court has sentenced former Controller of Immigration Shamman Waheed to 25 years in prison after finding him guilty of charges related to the abuse of his official position for personal gain.
Shamman, who served as the first Controller of Immigration under the current administration, was dismissed from office and arrested on 22 March 2025.
The case centred on allegations that he worked with other immigration officials in an unauthorised operation involving migrant workers and obtained MVR 530,000 from one of them.
The state filed three charges against Shamman: aiding and abetting extortion, misuse of official capacity and money laundering. He denied all charges.
Delivering the verdict on Tuesday, Criminal Court Judge Ibrahim Ihsan ruled that all three charges had been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court accepted the prosecution's request to apply enhanced penalties and imposed a combined sentence of 25 years.
For aiding and abetting extortion, Shamman was sentenced to eight years in prison. After deducting time already spent in custody, the remaining term to be served is seven years, two months and 20 days. The court also ordered him to repay MVR 500,000 to the victim within three days.
For misuse of official capacity, he received a two-year prison sentence.
For money laundering, the court imposed a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of MVR 500,000, payable within six months.
The court also granted a state request for asset forfeiture under the Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Act.
Assets ordered to be confiscated include:
-
MVR 250,000 recovered from Shamman's residence;
-
MVR 250,000 from the MVR 400,000 identified in the money laundering case; and
-
The equivalent of MVR 150,000 from USD 10,000 currently held by police.
In explaining the sentence, Judge Ihsan said the offences were committed while Shamman held the highest office within Maldives Immigration. The court found that the conduct affected public confidence in the institution and its administration.
Speaking to journalists before the hearing, Shamman maintained his innocence and said he expected to be convicted. He described the case as politically motivated and alleged that it was intended to damage his reputation after he raised allegations concerning Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihsan.
The case is one of the highest-profile corruption prosecutions involving a senior public official under the current administration.
