A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has adjourned to January 7, 2026, the hearing of a bail application filed by a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is facing alleged money laundering charges.
Malami, who is currently being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, is standing trial alongside his son, Abdulaziz Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, over a 16-count charge filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Malami and the other defendants are accused of laundering a total sum of ₦8.7 billion. They pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on December 29, 2025.
Following their plea, the court ordered that the trio be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of their bail application.
The matter, initially slated for January 2, 2026, was later adjourned to January 7 for argument on the bail request.
The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleges that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise and retain proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to the EFCC, the alleged offences were committed between 2015 and 2025, largely within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Malami’s tenure as Attorney General of the Federation.
The prosecution alleged that Malami and his son used a company, 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 ₦600.01 million into the same account between September 2020 and February 2021.
The commission further alleged that the defendants used illicit funds to acquire several high-value properties, including a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, purchased for ₦500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki, bought for ₦700 million; and another property in Jabi District acquired for ₦850 million.
Other properties listed in the charge include real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama, valued at ₦430 million; properties in Asokoro District purchased for ₦210 million and ₦325 million; and a property at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, acquired for ₦120 million.
The EFCC also alleged that Malami used unlawful proceeds totaling ₦952 million to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023, allegedly through proxies and corporate entities to conceal ownership.
The EFCC maintained that the alleged offences contravene the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
