THE hearing on the bail application by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, commenced at a Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, January 2.
Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is currently being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, over allegations of money laundering.
The three defendants are facing a 16-count charge brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bordering on the alleged laundering of ₦8.7 billion.
They pleaded not guilty to the charges during their arraignment on December 29, 2025.
Following the plea, the trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of their bail application, which was scheduled for January 2, 2026.
The ICIR reported that 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.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.