A Federal High Court in Abuja has set a hearing for January 2, 2026, to consider bail applications filed by former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami and two co‑defendants. The three—Malami, his son Abdulaziz, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited—face a 16‑count charge of money laundering. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleges that they laundered roughly N9 billion in public funds.
According to the EFCC, Malami acquired properties in Abuja, Kebbi and Kano to conceal the illicit proceeds. The defendants are also accused of using Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide more than N1.01 billion in a bank account between July 2022 and June 2025, and of siphoning about N600 million from September 2020 to February 2021 through the same company. In addition, the EFCC claims the defendants retained N600 million as cash collateral for a N500 million loan obtained by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, despite knowing the funds were proceeds of crime.
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges that breach several provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. Trial Judge Emeka Nwite rejected an oral bail application but allowed the EFCC time to respond to written bail applications. The prosecution opposed bail and asked for an accelerated hearing of the case. Consequently, the judge ordered the defendants to be remanded in Kuje Prison until the January 2, 2026 hearing.
Malami was produced in court from EFCC detention, where he had been held since December 8. He contends that the EFCC arbitrarily revoked an administrative bail granted after he attended a political rally in his home state of Kebbi, suggesting that his trial is politically motivated. The case will now proceed with the bail applications hearing in the new year, as the court determines the next steps in the prosecution of the former Justice Minister and his co‑defendants.
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