Police officer faces dismissal over Damage to $30,000 held in custody

A police officer has been recommended for dismissal following an investigation into US$30,000 (MVR 462,000) that was damaged while being held in police custody as evidence in a criminal investigation.

The matter first became public in August last year. At the time, police did not state that the seized cash had been damaged but confirmed that an internal investigation was underway.

Police said the money had been seized in connection with a case reported to the service on 15 September 2019. The Criminal Investigation Command was tasked with investigating what was described as a discrepancy in the accounting of the funds.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, police said the cash had been held by the Finance Department and that the Professional Standards Command investigated the matter as a case of negligence by the officer responsible for safeguarding the money.

According to police, the investigation found that the officer's negligence resulted in the physical damage of the banknotes.

"The Professional Standards Command investigated the damage caused to cash held under the Finance Department due to the negligence of the officer responsible for its safekeeping. The case was referred to the Disciplinary Board, which recommended that the employee be dismissed from service," the statement said.

Police said the case is now in the appeals process. The officer has been suspended from duty since the 7th of this month pending the outcome of the appeal.

The police have not disclosed how the banknotes were damaged or the nature of the negligence identified during the investigation.