A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre, following his arraignment on charges bordering on large-scale money laundering.
Emeka Nwite, the justice who presided over the proceedings on Tuesday, December 30, also ordered that Malami’s son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and an associate, Bashir Asabe, be remanded in custody pending the hearing and determination of their respective bail applications.
Malami and the two co-defendants were standing trial on a 16-count charge filed by the EFCC, accusing them of conspiracy, concealment, retention, and laundering of proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.
After reading the charges to them, the three defendants pleaded not guilty.
The remand order, however, followed submissions by the defence team led by Joseph Daudu, a senior advocate, and the prosecution counsel, Ekele Iheneacho, also a senior advocate, who represents the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Nwite adjourned the matter to a later date for the hearing of bail applications.
Charges
The EFCC had in the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, submitted to the court, alleged that the defendants used corporate entities, bank accounts, and real estate transactions to disguise the source of illicit funds.
The prosecution alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of over N1.01 billion, while an additional N600 million allegedly passed through a Sterling Bank account linked to the same company.
In another count, the EFCC accused Malami, his son, and Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, of disguising the origin of N500 million allegedly used to purchase a luxury duplex located on Amazon Street, Maitama District, Abuja.
The commission further alleged that the defendants conspired to launder N1.04 billion through the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, with transactions spanning from November 2022 to September 2024.
Another count accused Malami and his son of taking indirect control of N1.36 billion paid through the same company’s bank account, funds the EFCC said were proceeds of unlawful activity.
The EFCC also alleged that Malami, while serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, concealed N700 million allegedly used to acquire a property at No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki, Abuja, as well as ₦850 million used to purchase another property in the Jabi District of Abuja.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The anti-graft agency told the court that it had traced 41 properties valued at approximately N212 billion to Malami and his associates, and that these assets form part of the subject of the ongoing prosecution.
“That you ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN, and ABUBAKAR ABDULAZIZ MALAMI between November 2022 and October, 2025 indirectly took control of the aggregate sum of N1, 362, 887, 872.96 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty Two Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty Seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy Two Naira, Ninety Six Kobo paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd in Union Bank Plc when you reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2) (d) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN whilst being the Attorney General of the Federation and HAJIA BASHIR ASABE an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd sometimes between November and December, 2018 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly concealed the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N700, 000, 000.00 (Seven Hundred Million Naira) paid for the purchase of the property described as No. 3 Onitsha Crescent Area 11, Garki Abuja (Hamonia Hotels Ltd) in favour of ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum of N700, 000,000.00 formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (d) and punishable under section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended,” part of the charges read.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M