The state has announced that 80 pieces of evidence will be presented in court to support the charges against former Controller of Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed.

Shamaan was arrested in March 2019 on allegations of misusing his position for personal gain and accepting bribes from expatriate workers. He faces multiple charges, including two counts of embezzlement, two counts of abuse of official capacity, and one count of money laundering.

According to the prosecution, Shamaan was involved in an unauthorised raid at an expatriate’s residence, during which MVR 500,000 was allegedly seized. The state claims that Shamman received MVR 400,000 from the amount and laundered it to pay two student loans.

During the latest hearing at the Criminal Court, Judge Ibrahim Ihsaan noted that the defence’s opportunity to present evidence had ended and instructed the state to deliver its opening statement. A witness, Abdulla Siyad, testified regarding CCTV footage from the building where Shamaan lived, though the defence questioned the reliability of the recordings due to missing time codes and shared access to the system.

The court has scheduled five further hearings between 23 November and 4 December. The presiding judge stated that the case will proceed swiftly as the defendant remains in custody, while the state has been ordered to resubmit documentation relating to witness relationships and potential influence in the case.

Shamaan’s defence continues to deny all charges, maintaining that the funds in question were obtained legitimately and that he has cooperated fully with investigators throughout the proceedings.