Former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed has been arrested on charges of extortion and abuse of power, police confirmed on Friday.
Shamaan, who was dismissed from his role on Thursday, is accused of ordering the release of a detained foreigner and extorting MVR 530,000 from him. He was arrested under a court order on Friday night shortly after he left the police station where he was questioned in relation to the allegations.
The arrest follows an investigation into allegations that several Maldives Immigration employees exploited foreign workers for financial gain. Three other individuals, including a staff member from the Immigration Controller’s bureau, have also been arrested in connection with the case.
According to a statement issued by the Maldives Police Service on Friday, a group of immigration officers, not affiliated with the relevant department responsible for tracking and detaining illegal immigrants, detained the foreign national after searching his residence and finding MVR 530,000 in his possession. The foreigner was released from immigration custody on Shamaan’s orders the following day, and the same officers later met him on the street, took the money from him, and delivered it to the building where Shamaan’s apartment is located, police said.
“Five individuals were stopped and searched under a court order, with electronic equipment seized from them,” according to the statement.
While police have not disclosed the exact amount seized from Shamaan’s apartment, sources estimate it to be around MVR 500,000.
On Friday, following Shamaan’s dismissal, President Mohamed Muizzu appointed former Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh as the new Immigration Controller.