Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), appeared at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday morning to face a 16-count charge of money laundering and unlawful acquisition of assets.
He was brought to the courthouse by officials from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for his arraignment.
Malami arrived shortly before 9 a.m. along with his two co-defendants: his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Bashir Asabe, an employee of a company linked to the former minister.
The EFCC has accused the trio of conspiring to launder approximately N8.7 billion between 2015 and 2025, a period that covers Malami’s entire tenure as the nation’s chief law officer under the previous administration.
The extensive charges detail a complex web of alleged financial crimes, including concealing and disguising the origin of illicit funds through various companies and bank accounts.
For instance, the EFCC alleges that Malami and his son used a company called Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal over N1.6 billion in a Sterling Bank account and used another N600 million in cash as collateral for a bank loan.
The charges also claim that the defendants laundered hundreds of millions of naira to purchase numerous high-value properties in prime locations across Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi, including luxury duplexes and hotels in districts like Maitama, Asokoro, and Jabi.
The case is being heard before Justice Emeka Nwite, and the EFCC has indicated it plans to call a range of witnesses, including investigators, bank representatives, and Bureau de Change operators.
