High Court Dismisses Appeal Against Arrest of Former Immigration Controller
Photo: Maldives Immigration
The High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the Criminal Court’s decision to arrest former Immigration Controller Shamman Waheed in connection with an extortion case involving foreign nationals.
Shamman was removed from his position over bribery allegations and was arrested last Friday night. The following night, the Criminal Court remanded him in custody for 15 days. On Sunday, he appealed the arrest warrant at the High Court, but the case was dismissed the same day, according to the High Court registry.
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His lawyer argued that the Criminal Court judge had erred in issuing the remand order and had not given sufficient consideration to the evidence. However, the High Court registrar stated that the case did not meet the legal criteria for appeal, as an allegation of obstruction of justice alone was not a valid ground.
The registrar’s decision outlined that a clear legal issue must be identified for an appeal to proceed, which had not been done. It also stated that no exceptional circumstances had been presented that justified the High Court’s intervention in the lower court’s discretionary remand order.
Meanwhile, the police have seized the phone of Shamman’s wife, Hidfa Faiz, along with two passports, though the identities of the passport holders have not been disclosed.
Four other immigration officers have been arrested in connection with the case. The police allege that these individuals used their positions to enter a residence occupied by foreign nationals, detained several individuals, and took them into immigration custody along with MVR 530,000.
A day later, acting on Shamman’s instructions, a foreign national was allegedly released late at night in exchange for cash. The same employees later met the individual on the street and took the money to Shamman’s residence.
During a search of Shamman’s house, police seized a significant amount of cash and electronic devices as part of their investigation.
