The Supreme Court has ruled against former Controller General of Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, in his bid to overturn his detention in an extortion and money laundering case.
Shamaan, 36, was dismissed from his role as the head of Maldives Immigration on March 20. In a statement shortly after the news of his dismissal broke, the police said they were investigating a case involving “several employees of Maldives Immigration who misused their authority to gain undue benefits from expatriate workers.”
Investigators raided Shamaan’s residence in Male’ the same night, and seized MVR 257,475, USD 10,000 and cash in other foreign currencies, as well as electronic devices.
He was arrested on March 21 after he arrived at the Sergeant Adam Haleem Criminal Investigation Building for questioning. He is currently jailed pending the outcome of his trial, and the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) filed charges against him with the Criminal Court on May 25.
Shamaan had previously lost his initial bid to have his detention overturned by the High Court in April.
He lost his last bid to have his detention overturned on Wednesday afternoon, as a three-member bench of the Supreme Court concurred there were no grounds for his release.
Former Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamaan Waheed (R) listens as Supreme Court judges deliver their ruling in the appeal of his detention on June 18, 2025. (Photo via Supreme Court)
But the court did overturn the High Court’s assertion that a corruption case can be investigated by the police without the involvement of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
Shamaan has been pressed with serious felonies that would land him behind bars for a long time; an accomplice to theft by extortion – which carries a three-year prison sentence, misuse of authority to obtain a benefit – which carries a one-year prison sentence, and money laundering – a charge that carries a prison sentence of between five to 15 years.
The police have also arrested four other Immigration officers in connection to the case.
They are:
Mohamed Alsan Ismail, 21, Moonimaage, Th. Buruni
Ibrahim Ahmed, 37, G. Happyside, K. Male’
Hassan Saheshan, 47, G. Happyside, K. Male’
Ahmed Lassaan, 40, M. Hazaaree Villa, K. Male’
According to the police, their investigation uncovered that three Immigration officers working in sections other than the taskforce or the risk management section – who are usually involved in identifying and detaining irregular expatriates – abused their authority to raid a migrant accommodation building.
Combined photos of ((clockwise from L-R) Mohamed Alsan Ismail, 21, Moonimaage, Th. Buruni; Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, 36, G. Litonia, K. Male’; Ibrahim Ahmed, 37, G. Happyside, K. Male’; Hassan Saheshan, 47, G. Happyside, K. Male’; Ahmed Lassaan, 40, M. Hazaaree Villa, K. Male’.
Seven expatriates – all of whom were found to have their documents in order - were detained with large amounts of cash in the raid.
A team of Immigration officers specialized in such raids were later brought in. They re-processed the scene, sealed the confiscated evidence and took the expatriates to the Immigration Detention Center.
At midnight on March 13, one of the expatriates – who was taken into custody with MVR 530,000 in cash – was released from detention at the urgent request of Shamaan and taken to the Immigration office located at M. Star Cloud.
According to police, the sponsor who came to receive the expatriate is a family member of one of the Immigration officers arrested in the case.
The investigation uncovered that the cash confiscated with the expatriate was put into a bag and given to him when he was released from detention.
The three Immigration officers involved in the raid were seen near Star Cloud as the expatriate’s release was being processed. He left the building on a motorcycle with his sponsor, but stopped at Shaheed Ali Hingun and boarded an Immigration vehicle with one of the officers – who has also been arrested.
The police said the vehicle drove along the roads of Male’ before arriving near the expatriate’s residence. Investigators believe that “certain decisions were made” during this trip.
Former Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamaan Waheed at the Louvre, in Paris, France. (Photo/Facebook/Mohamed Shamaan Waheed)
One of the Immigration officers involved disembarked the vehicle near Star Cloud, while a second one disembarked near the Velana Building. Meanwhile, the officer who disembarked near Star Cloud got on a motorcycle and drove near the Velana Building, and then took out the money bag from the Immigration vehicle and then took it to Shamaan’s residence.
The officers involved in the raid met with the expatriate on the street, took the money from him, and entered the building where Shamaan residences carrying the money.
“CCTV footage shows the bag had a large amount of cash when he entered the house, and the bag was scrunched up into his fist when he exited,” said the police.
Shamaan was appointed as Controller General of Immigration on November 19, 2023 – two days after President Muizzu took office.
His dismissal came as a surprise to many, as he gained praise for leading a crackdown on illegal immigration – a longstanding issue in the Maldives.
Home Minister Ali Ihusan (L) and then-Controller General of Immigration Mohamed Shamaan Waheed (R).
These allegations are denied by Shamaan’s family, including his wife Hidhufa Faiz, who has described it as a frame job.
The family claims that Shamaan was framed by Home Minister Ali Ihusan because he has evidence of corruption by the latter, including an incriminating video. The family also said that Shamaan had alerted President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to the alleged corruption via a letter back in December last year, including corruption in issuance of quotas and work permits for expatriates.