A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday fixed January 2, 2026, for the hearing of the bail applications filed by former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, his son and one other defendant.
The court also ordered that Malami and his son together with the third defendant be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of their bail requests.
Malami, his son and another defendant were earlier arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering, unlawful acquisition of assets and conspiracy.
A video posted by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on X on Tuesday morning showed the former Attorney-General present in court as the charges were read.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the arraignment, counsel to the defendants informed the court of their intention to apply for bail, prompting the trial judge to adjourn the case and order their remand in custody.
Malami served as Attorney-General of the Federation from 2015 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and was one of the most influential officials in the administration.
The case has drawn significant public attention, as it represents one of the most high-profile prosecutions involving a former senior official of the Buhari government.
The matter will continue on January 2, when the court is expected to hear and rule on the bail applications.
On Tuesday, Malami appeared alongside his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and an ally, Hajia Bashir Asabe.
All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when read before Justice Emeka Nwite.
The charges, filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accuse the former chief law officer of Nigeria of abusing his office to funnel suspicious funds through private companies, property deals and bank transactions he “reasonably ought to have known” were proceeds of unlawful activities.
According to court filings obtained by SaharaReporters, the EFCC alleges that Malami used fronts and corporate entities — including Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd and Meethaq Hotels Ltd — to launder public funds while in office.
One of the charges claims Malami and his son procured over N1,014,848,500 through Metropolitan Auto Tech Ltd between July 2022 and June 2025 to conceal the origin of funds in a Sterling Bank account.
Another alleges he used N600,000,000 as collateral to secure a loan for Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, despite allegedly knowing the money was suspicious.
Multiple counts accuse the defendants of using Properties company and Bureau De Change operators to disguise payments for high-end properties in Maitama, Jabi, Asokoro, Gwarimpa, and Kano, including: N500m luxury duplex, Amazon Street, Maitama; N700m property, Onitsha Crescent, Garki; N850m Meethaq Hotels, Jabi; N430m Rhine Street property, Maitama; N537m properties in Abuja, Kano and Birnin Kebbi.
Two of the properties were described as “Hamonia Hotels Ltd, Area 11 Garki” and Meethaq Hotels on Rhine Street in Maitama.
In documents tendered to the court as Proof of Evidence, the anti-graft agency listed witnesses including investigators, Bureau De Change operators and bankers.
The EFCC says its officials — Folarin Dare, Chinedu Eneanya and Sani Lukeman — will testify about how petitions and intelligence reports triggered the probe into “monumental corruption” allegedly linked to the former minister.
A witness, Hassan Aliyu, allegedly claims his company’s account was used for suspicious multimillion-naira transactions without his full knowledge.
Despite the weight of the accusations, Malami and his co-defendants insist they are innocent. They entered a not guilty plea, forcing the case into full trial.
