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, SAN, who is facing a money laundering charge alongside his son and wife.
The defendants are accused of laundering public funds amounting to about N9 billion. In a ruling, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted them bail in the sum of N200 million each with two sureties in like sum.
The court had earlier, on February 27, remanded Malami, his son Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe, in prison custody after they were re-arraigned on a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The remand followed Justice Abdulmalik’s refusal to adopt the bail conditions earlier granted to the defendants on January 7. Defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, had urged the court to retain the earlier bail conditions granted by Justice Emeka Nwite, who first handled the case as a vacation judge.
However, counsel to the EFCC, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, argued that the re-arraignment gave the court the discretion to determine whether the defendants should continue to enjoy the earlier bail.
After hearing both parties, Justice Abdulmalik held that the matter had commenced afresh before her, noting that the proceedings before Justice Nwite had legally ended. She subsequently directed the defendants to file a fresh bail application.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that one of the sureties must present title documents of a property located in either Maitama or Asokoro in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The defendants were also ordered to surrender their international passports and not travel outside the country without the court’s permission.
The judge further directed that they remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.
The case was adjourned to March 16 for the commencement of trial.
The EFCC alleged that Malami, who served as Minister of Justice between November 11, 2015, and May 29, 2023, under former President Muhammadu Buhari, acquired several properties in cities including Abuja, Kebbi and Kano in an attempt to conceal proceeds of crime.
According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025.
They were also accused of using the same firm to divert about N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
The EFCC further alleged that the defendants retained N600 million in March 2021 as cash collateral for a N500 million loan obtained by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd from Sterling Bank, despite allegedly knowing that the funds were proceeds of crime.
The alleged offences are said to violate provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
Investigators, bank officials, real estate agents and Bureau de Change operators are among those expected to testify in the case.
Malami is also facing a separate five-count charge bordering on terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against him and his son.
He was earlier arrested and detained by the DSS after fulfilling the bail conditions in the EFCC case before he was later released from custody.
