Ibrahim Rasheed released on parole 5 years into 25-year sentence

Ibrahim Rasheed, known as Abucha, who was convicted in a major drug trafficking case and sentenced to 25 years in prison, has been released on parole.

Rasheed was arrested in 2020 in connection with a case involving the trafficking of more than 80 kilograms of drugs into the Maldives. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May last year after being convicted in the case.

Sources familiar with the matter told Dhauru that Rasheed was released after the Parole Board decided to grant him parole. He was released last Tuesday.

“The Parole Board decided to release him subject to conditions,” a senior official familiar with the matter told Dhauru on Sunday.

The conditions imposed on Rasheed have not been disclosed. It is also unclear why the Parole Board decided to grant him parole or how he met the requirements for release.

Maldives Correctional Service confirmed to Dhauru that Rasheed had been released on parole but did not provide further details.

The state charged Rasheed with two counts of drug trafficking in November 2020. He pleaded guilty and entered into a plea agreement with the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The combined sentence for the two offences would have amounted to 50 years in prison. Under the plea agreement, the sentence was reduced to 25 years, and the court subsequently imposed the agreed sentence.

Including the period he spent in custody before sentencing, Rasheed had served about five years at the time of his release, leaving around 20 years of his prison sentence remaining.

Police had alleged during the investigation that Rasheed was a leading figure in a network involved in trafficking drugs into the Maldives.

Under the Prisons and Parole Act, the Parole Board is established by the President and comprises nine members. Its membership includes senior civil servants from the education and health ministries, a lawyer from the Attorney General’s Office, a representative of a relevant civil society organisation, a senior police officer, an Islamic scholar appointed by the President from nominees proposed by the Islamic Ministry, a senior Maldives Correctional Service officer, a medical doctor and a mental health professional.

Information identifying the current members of the Parole Board was not available on the Maldives Correctional Service website.

The board operates under the Maldives Correctional Service, which is under the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology.

The Prisons and Parole Act assigns the Commissioner of Prisons responsibility for overseeing the administration of the board, the release of eligible prisoners under the law and the proper functioning of the parole system. The law also provides for these responsibilities to be carried out on the advice of the minister.