The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, will, today, arraign a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged money laundering and unlawful acquisition of assets.
Malami, who served for eight years under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to take his plea before Justice Emeka Nwite on a 16-count charge filed by the anti-graft agency.
Also listed as defendants are his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and another individual.
According to the charge, the EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired at various times to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.
The commission further alleged that the offences involved the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of large sums of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
Some of the alleged offences, the EFCC said, were committed while Malami was serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Malami and the other defendants are expected to enter their pleas when the matter comes up for arraignment on today.
The charges allege that between 2015 and 2025, the defendants conspired to launder and conceal the origin of substantial sums of money and used them to acquire various properties across the Federal Capital Territory and northern Nigeria.
Count 1 alleges that Malami and his son, between July 2022 and June 2025, “procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N1.14billion, in the Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387 when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed proceeds of unlawful activities” contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
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