Dhigali, Aattey, 8 others charged in cigarette theft

The Prosecutor General's Office (PG Office) filed charges in the Criminal Court against ten individuals involved in the theft of 13.6 million cigarettes which had previously been seized by Customs for illegal import. 

Police sent cases against 11 individuals for prosecution. Of these, 10 have been charged. 

Two separate charges are filed against the two accused of planning the theft, businessmen Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali) and Ahmed Aarif (Aattey), as well as former senior Customs Officer Muaz Ali. 

The charges concern conspiring to unlawfully take control of another's property and actively participating in the act. 

Customs senior officer Zivar Ismail and two MPL staff Ahmed Shaheem, Nooralige, HDh. Vaikaradhoo, and Ahmed Firusan, H. Rumania, are also facing two charges. These are unlawfully exerting control over another's property, and planning this.

MPL staff Hussain Samih, Chandhaneege, S. Hithadhoo, and captain of the boat that transported the two stolen shipping containers of cigarettes, Adam Waheed, are charges with participating in exerting control over another's property. 

PG Office decided not to charge Mohamed Shareef, Male' Registry no. 1355 despite Police's request. The reason given for this is the lack of evidence that he has committed a criminal offence. Shareef was also not arrested in relation to this case. 

All but three of the accused are in custody until the end of trial. The two businessmen and Hassan Abdul Rahman were released on request from the PG Office. The PG Office cited as a reason that while the three are accused of conspiring in the theft, there is no evidence that they actively participated. 

Customs has previously said that the smuggled cigarettes were found in an operation carried out at the Hulhumale' Sea Cargo Terminal based on intelligence that it was being smuggled in in a plywood shipment. 

In relation to this case, travel bans were placed against 19 individuals. Police also conducted searches of five vehicles and 21 locations across Male', Hulhumale' and Thilafushi.