A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled January 7 to rule on the bail application of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is facing allegations of money laundering.
Malami is currently being held at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
He, alongside his son Abdulaziz and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, is standing trial on a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The defendants are accused of laundering ₦8.7 billion and pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on December 29, 2025.
Following their pleas, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered their remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre until January 2, 2026, pending the hearing of their written bail application by the defence team.
In the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the defendants were accused of conspiring to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds of unlawful activities. The prosecution alleged that they relied on multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and high-value real estate transactions over nearly a decade to indirectly acquire the funds.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offences occurred between 2015 and 2025, mainly within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Malami’s tenure as Attorney General of the Federation.
The EFCC alleged that Malami and his son used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal ₦1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025. They were also accused of depositing an additional ₦600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
The properties listed in the charge include a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, reportedly purchased for ₦500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki, acquired for ₦700 million; and another in Jabi District valued at ₦850 million.
Other properties cited include real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama, valued at ₦430 million; properties in Asokoro District costing ₦210 million and ₦325 million; and a property at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, valued at ₦120 million.
The commission further alleged that Malami used illicit proceeds totaling ₦952 million to acquire several properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023. These acquisitions were said to have been carried out through proxies and corporate entities to conceal ownership.
The EFCC stated that the alleged actions contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
