Court grants bail to ex-AGF Malami, wife, son in N9bn money laundering case

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is facing a money laundering charge alongside his son and wife.

The defendants were alleged to have laundered public funds totalling about N9 billion.

The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, granted them bail in the sum of N200 million each, with two sureties in like sum.

It will be recalled that the court had, on February 27, remanded the former AGF, his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe, in prison custody after they were re-arraigned on a 16-count charge which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission preferred against them.

The remand order followed Justice Abdulmalik’s refusal to adopt the bail conditions that were earlier granted to the defendants on January 7.

The defence lawyer, Joseph Daudu, after the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge, drew the court’s attention to the bail conditions given by Justice Emeka Nwite, who initially presided over the case as a vacation judge.

On his part, counsel to the EFCC, Jibrin Okutepa, who confirmed that the defendants had earlier perfected all the bail conditions, argued that with the re-arraignment, the court reserved the discretionary powers to determine whether they should be allowed to continue to enjoy their bail or not.

Having listened to both sides, Justice Abdulmalik held that the case had started de novo (afresh) before her, stressing that proceedings before Justice Nwite had legally terminated.

She therefore ordered the defendants to file a fresh bail application, which was granted on Friday.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that one of the sureties must provide title documents of a property located in either Maitama or Asokoro districts of the Federal Capital Territory.

Besides, it ordered the defendants to surrender their international passports and not travel outside the country without permission.

Justice Abdulmalik held that the defendants should remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.

The case was subsequently adjourned to March 16 for the commencement of trial.

The court initially granted the defendants bail in the sum of N500 million each with two sureties each in the like sum.

The EFCC alleged that Malami, who served as Justice Minister from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, had in a bid to conceal proceeds of crime, acquired choice properties in various cities including Abuja, Kebbi and Kano.

According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants between July 2022 and June 2025 used a firm, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account.

They were further accused of using the same company to siphon about N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.

The EFCC also told the court that the defendants retained N600 million in March 2021 as cash collateral for a N500 million loan that Rayhaan Hotels Ltd obtained from Sterling 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 expected to testify in the case are investigators, bank officials, real estate agents and Bureau de Change operators.

The embattled former AGF is also facing a separate five-count charge bordering on terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms filed by the Department of State Services against him and his son.

Malami was earlier arrested and detained by the DSS after perfecting the bail conditions in the EFCC case before he was later released from prison custody.