A FEDERAL High Court in Abuja has fixed January 7 for a ruling on the bail application filed by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a senior advocate, who is standing trial over alleged money laundering.
Malami is currently being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, following their arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The accused are facing a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering, amounting to ₦8.7 billion.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned on December 29, 2025.
Following their plea, the trial judge, Emeka Nwite, ordered that the defendants be remanded pending the hearing of their bail application, which commenced on January 2, 2026.
The court, however, adjourned the matter and fixed January 7 for ruling on the bail request.
According to court documents marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds of unlawful activities using corporate entities, multiple bank accounts, and high-value real estate transactions.
The prosecution alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over ₦1.01 billion, while an additional ₦600 million allegedly passed through a Sterling Bank account linked to the same company between September 2020 and February 2021.
In another count, the EFCC accused Malami, his son, and Asabe, described as an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, of disguising the origin of ₦500 million allegedly used to acquire a luxury duplex located on Amazon Street, Maitama District, Abuja.
The commission further alleged that the defendants conspired to launder ₦1.04 billion through the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Limited between November 2022 and September 2024, while another ₦1.36 billion was allegedly taken under indirect control through the same company’s account.
The EFCC also alleged that Malami, while serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, concealed ₦700 million allegedly used to purchase a property at No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Area 11, Garki, as well as ₦850 million used to acquire another property in the Jabi District of Abuja.
Other properties listed in the charge include real estate on Amazon Street and Rhine Street in Maitama, properties in Asokoro District, and houses in Gwarimpa, Abuja.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that Malami deployed unlawful proceeds amounting to ₦952 million to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023, using proxies and corporate entities to obscure ownership.
The EFCC told the court that it had traced 41 properties valued at about ₦212 billion to Malami and his associates, which form part of the subject of the ongoing prosecution.
According to the commission, the alleged offences contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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