The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over an alleged ₦8.7 billion fraud case continued on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, where a prosecution witness revealed that Zenith Bank Plc had flagged and reported several transactions linked to his accounts as suspicious.
Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc and the fourth prosecution witness, told the court during cross-examination before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik that the bank submitted Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) regarding certain activities connected to the former minister’s accounts.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Malami alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, on a revised 16-count charge involving conspiracy, concealment, and alleged laundering of ₦8,713,923,759.49 said to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
During proceedings, defence counsel questioned whether the transactions complied with Central Bank of Nigeria guidelines. Despite an objection, the court directed the witness to respond.
Bata further explained that repetitive or unusual deposits are typically escalated to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), which is responsible for analysing and sharing financial intelligence to combat money laundering and related offences.
