Former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed has appealed to the High Court regarding his detention until the end of his trial. Shamaan was removed from his position and arrested on the 21st of last month on accusations of abusing his official power. When initially brought before the Criminal Court to determine his detention status, he was given a 15-day detention period.
When this decision was first appealed, the court initially rejected the case. However, the judges’ council has since decided to proceed with the appeal.
After the initial detention period expired, Shamaan was brought to court a second time on the 6th of this month, when the court ordered his detention until the conclusion of his trial. According to the High Court website, Shamaan’s appeal of this detention order was filed last Thursday.
Shamaan was dismissed from his position and arrested following allegations that he, in collaboration with other Immigration employees, released a foreigner who had been taken into Immigration custody and then extorted over 500,000 rufiyaa from the individual, which was allegedly taken to Shamaan’s house.
Police previously stated that after collecting the money, they released a foreigner who had been detained during an Immigration operation at a guesthouse. The money was allegedly collected after three Immigration employees met with the foreigner on the street after his release, and investigators determined the money was then taken to Shamaan’s house. Police also noted that the operation was not conducted by the designated Immigration taskforce responsible for inspecting foreigners and related premises.
