Former Maldives Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed was arrested on Friday evening following allegations of abuse of power and financial misconduct. The arrest came shortly after his dismissal from the post earlier that day.
According to the Maldives Police Service, Shamaan’s arrest was made under a court order as part of an investigation into claims that immigration officers had misused their positions to obtain financial benefits from foreigners.
The investigation revealed that immigration employees had conducted a search at a residence occupied by foreigners, detaining several individuals and seizing MVR 530,000. Police findings indicate that one foreigner was later released from detention in the middle of the night on Shamaan’s orders. Officers involved in the case are accused of subsequently meeting the released foreigner on the street and taking the seized money to Shamaan’s residence.
The police clarified that the investigation does not involve employees from the Immigration Task Force and Risk Management Section. The task force is typically responsible for identifying and detaining illegal migrants, but those implicated in the case are said to be from other sections of the agency.
Three individuals linked to the allegations were also arrested earlier on Friday. Of these, two have been remanded in custody for 10 days, while the third has been remanded for three days.
Following Shamaan’s dismissal, President Mohamed Muizzu appointed retired Police Commissioner Ahmed Faseeh as the new Controller General of Immigration.
The investigation remains ongoing.
