President Mohamed Muizzu has denied corruption allegations made by former Controller General of Immigration Shamaan Waheed.
Speaking to reporters ahead of a sentencing hearing at the Criminal Court, Shamaan asserted that Muizzu’s failure to act on reports of corruption involving Home Minister Ali Ihusaan constitutes an act of corruption in itself.
"Is the President’s failure to act not an act of corruption? When the President is directly aware that this is happening and does not stop it, that is corruption. Therefore, I believe the President is a participant in this," Shamman said.
In response, the government’s Chief Spokesperson, Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), dismissed the claims as false in a post on social media platform X.
"The statements made to the media today by former Immigration Controller Shamaan regarding the President are absolute lies," the post read.
Shamaan alleged today that work permits for Bangladeshi nationals were being approved directly through Ihusaan, and that he had informed Muizzu after confirming that MVR 8,000 was being collected as a bribe for each permit.
"I informed the President in very clear terms. There will be chat logs of the conversations with the President. There will be audio as well. However, my phone is currently in police custody, where it has been since my arrest," Shamman added.
Shamaan further alleged that he was framed by Ihusaan and Attorney General (AG) Mohamed Ushaam.
Shamaan faces three charges related to allegations of abusing his official position to extort money from a foreign national. These include charges of robbery, official misconduct, and money laundering.
Shamaan was dismissed from his post as Controller on March 21 and arrested by police the following day. He was initially remanded for 15 days before the court ordered his detention pending the outcome of the trial on April 6. Shamaan spent 278 days in custody before being released on December 25 last year.
Several others were also arrested in connection with the case, including immigration officers and a private citizen. Some of the suspects have reportedly entered into plea agreements with the state.
