Police say the ex-immigration Officers executed a premeditated crime when they extorted money from foreigners in the Immigration Corruption case that was unearthed earlier this month.
Speaking at a press conference today, Chief Inspector of Police Ahmed Azmath Abdullah said that the Police initially received the report of the crime on the 20th of March and that it was registered as a case on the same day.
He said that the investigation had determined that the crime was premeditated and that the then-Controller of Immigration Mohamed Shamman Waheed had knowledge of the crime.
Police said that they had come to know that an unsanctioned immigration raid was conducted at a house in Male' on the 12th of March and that the raid by several immigration officers was conducted without the required documents.
Police said the raid was not conducted by employees of the Risk Management System and Enforcement and Complaints Task Force which had the mandate to conduct such raids.
They recounted that they had identified three such employees who worked at the Controller's Bureau and they detained 7 foreigners in the raid. Police stated that the three had then brought in the specialized immigration team for such raids and made the process the scene again as well as let them seal the possessions of the detained foreigners.
Police said that the foreigners arrested by the Immigration Department were with legal documents and that a large amount of money was recovered from one of the foreigners. They added that he was taken to the immigration office in Star Cloud.
Police further said that he was released in connection with an inauthentic letter sent in the name of his sponsor without the sponsor's knowledge and was instructed to treat it as an "urgent" matter under Sham'an's instructions.
The man who took over the released foreigner on behalf of the sponsor is the uncle of Ibrahim Ahmed, who has been arrested in connection with the case.
Police stated that the money seized from the foreigner was returned to him in a bag when he was released.
Police noted that when the man was released, he rode away with his 'sponsor' but then was seen getting into an Immigration vehicle accompanied by an immigration officer.
The vehicle rode around Male' before dropping the foreigner at his home and one of the immigration officers arrested in the case was seen carrying the bag into ex-controller Shamman's house.
Police said that once they received this information a search warrant was executed at his house and MVR 257,475, and $10,000 and other foreign currency were recovered.
