Prosecutors charge 10 in Hulhumale' cigarette theft, seek maximum penalty

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) has filed charges against suspects in connection with the theft of a container of cigarettes seized by Customs at the Hulhumale' International Terminal of Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) on April 26.  

The accused are:  

1. Ahmed Arif (Aattey), 61, owner of Lotus  

2. Mohamed Waheed (Dhigali), 65, owner of Apollo Holdings  

3. Zivar Ismail, 40, senior Customs official  

4. Muaz Ali, 48, former Customs official, now general manager at MIFCO  

5. Adam Waheed, 57, Apollo Holdings employee and captain of the boat allegedly used in the theft  

6. Hassan Abdul Rahman, 52, Apollo Holdings employee  

7. Ahmed Shaheem, 42, MPL employee  

8. Hussain Samih, 35, MPL employee  

9. Ahmed Firushan, 35, MPL employee  

10. Mohamed Alamin Mia, 36, Bangladeshi national  

The PGO clarified on Monday evening that Mohamed Shareef (RS 1355), K. Male' was initially named but has since been removed from the charge sheet, as prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to indict him.  

The charges include conspiracy to commit unauthorized possession of another person’s property, conspiracy to commit theft, and theft.  

The PGO said those accused of participating in unauthorized possession played a leading role in organizing the crime, and prosecutors will seek the same level of punishment as the direct perpetrators.  

If the charges are proven, the PGO confirmed it will request the court to impose the maximum penalty, citing the seriousness and sensitivity of the offence.  

The theft involved two containers containing 13.6 million cigarettes, seized by Customs and stored at MPL’s Hulhumale' terminal. The case has drawn significant public attention, with allegations of corruption and abuse of state positions in facilitating the crime.