PG office decides to prosecute all 11 individuals in stolen cigarette container case

The Prosecutor General's (PG) Office has decided to press charges against all 11 individuals arrested in connection with the theft of over 13.6 million cigarettes from two containers that were previously seized by Customs at the Hulhumalé port managed by MPL.

The Police concluded the investigation and forwarded the case to the PG Office on December 3rd, requesting charges be filed against all 11 arrested individuals. The PG Office released a statement today confirming that they will file the case and press charges in the Criminal Court within the timeframe mandated by law, and the work related to the prosecution is ongoing.

It is understood that the PG Office plans to file charges against the 11 individuals as early as the start of next week. The specific details of the charges are not yet available.

Three individuals initially arrested in the case, businessman Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali), businessman Ahmed Aarif (Aattey), and Hassan Abdurahman (Link, K. Thulusdhoo), who was in charge of the Thilafushi site where the containers were taken, were today released from custody at the request of the PG Office.

The PG Office requested their release because, while they are suspected of conspiring to commit the crime, there was no evidence to suggest they were directly involved in the physical act of the theft. Hassan Abdurahman was released on the condition that he was also not suspected of being actively involved in the theft.

The decision to release the businessmen has drawn criticism on social media.

While the three individuals were released, the other arrested suspects remain in custody pending the conclusion of the trial. The PG Office justified this by stating these individuals are suspected of being actively involved in the physical theft of the cigarettes. Furthermore, some of them are alleged to have misused their official capacity as state employees to commit the crime.

The individuals currently detained in connection with the theft are:

The 11th individual against whom the PG Office has decided to press charges, but was not arrested by the police, is Mohamed Shareef.

The two 40-foot containers illegally imported into the Maldives contained 1,360 cases of cigarettes, totaling 13.6 million cigarette sticks. Customs previously estimated that the duty payable on these brands would have amounted to approximately MVR 122 million.

The consignment was initially discovered during an operation at the Hulhumalé Sea-Cargo Terminal, after information was received that the cigarettes were being smuggled inside a shipment of plywood. The investigation into the case involved travel bans on 19 individuals, searches of five vessels, and raids on 21 locations across Malé, Hulhumalé, and Thilafushi.