…Court slates Jan 2 to hear bail applications
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA— The immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, was yesterday, arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a 16-count money laundering charge.
Equally docked by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), were Malami’s son, Abdulaziz, and one Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, a firm allegedly used to conceal proceeds of unlawful activity through property deals.
The defendants were alleged to have laundered public funds totalling about N9billion.
According to the anti-graft agency, the former Justice Minister, in an attempt to conceal his illicit proceeds, acquired choice properties in various cities and states, including Abuja, Kebbi, and Kano.
EFCC told the court that the defendants had, between July 2022 and June 2025, used a firm, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over N1.01 billion in a bank account.
They were further accused of using the same company to siphon about N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
Likewise, EFCC told the court that the defendants had retained N600 million in March 2021 as cash collateral for a N500 million loan that the firm, Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, obtained from a bank, despite allegedly knowing that the funds were proceeds of crime.
The defendants were said to have acted in breach of several provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
Among those billed to testify against them were investigators, bank officials, real estate agents, as well as Bureau de Change operators.
Meanwhile, the defendants took turns pleading not guilty to the charge that was read to them in open court.
Trial Justice Emeka Nwite, subsequently, rejected an oral application the defence lawyer, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, moved for the defendants to be released on bail, pending the determination of the case against them.
The EFCC, through its lawyer, Mr. Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, had opposed the bail applications, even as it requested an accelerated hearing of the case.
The prosecution equally sought time to file a counter-affidavit to adduce reasons why the defendants should not be released on bail.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite said it was in the interest of justice and fair hearing for the court to allow the EFCC to respond to written bail applications that were earlier filed by the defendants.
The judge held that it was not in dispute that the written bail applications were already served on the prosecution.
He stressed that though the court had the power to grant bail, it was the interest of justice to allow the EFCC to file its response.
Consequently, he adjourned the matter until January 2, 2026, and ordered the remand of the defendants in Kuje Prison.
Malami was produced before the court from EFCC detention facility where he was kept since December 8.
The former AGF accused the agency of arbitrarily revoking an administrative bail it earlier granted to him.
He insisted that the revocation came after he attended a political rally in his home state, Kebbi, a development he described as a pointer to the fact that his trial was politically motivated.
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