Judge denies opportunity to question whether Ihusan directed Immigration staff to commit illegal acts
Ihusan is accused of carrying out numerous corrupt practices in the administration of the Home Ministry and the management of Immigration by Former Controller General of Maldives Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed's family.
Former Controller of Maldives Immigration, Mohamed Shamaan Waheed
During the trial of former Immigration Controller Mohamed Shamaan Waheed, who is facing charges brought by the state, Judge Ibrahim Ihusan blocked questioning on whether Minister of Homeland Security and Technology Ali Ihusan had instructed Immigration staff to commit illegal acts.
Shamaan was detained in connection with an alleged case in which he, in collaboration with Immigration staff, took MVR 500,000 from a foreign national who was in Immigration custody and subsequently released the individual. The state has filed multiple charges against Shamaan in relation to this matter.
At a hearing held on Tuesday, when Shamaan posed a question to an Immigration Control Bureau staff member who had been summoned as a witness, the state objected and the judge disallowed the question. The question concerned allegations that Minister Ihusan had instructed certain Immigration staff to engage in illegal activities.
Following Shamaan’s attempt to raise the question, Judge Ihusan stated that the trial could not be used as a media circus or as a means of creating media headlines. He said that Shamaan would be given the opportunity to present his defense and question witnesses but stressed that the trial should not be exploited to convey a particular message to anyone. The judge further warned that disciplinary action would be taken if such conduct continued.
Despite these court proceedings, Shamaan’s family had previously claimed that his arrest was motivated by Minister Ihusan’s fear that Shamaan would expose his corruption cases to the public, and that the arrest was intended to prevent such disclosures. The family also alleged that another reason behind Ihusan’s efforts to detain Shamaan was his knowledge that Shamaan possessed a video of him.
In addition to this, the family accused Ihusan of engaging in numerous corrupt practices in the administration of the Home Ministry and the management of Immigration. They further alleged that Shamaan’s detention was a frame-up.
