Court Orders Malami, Son and Wife Remanded in Prison

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered the remand of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his bail application.

Justice Emeka Nwite also directed that Malami’s co-defendants, his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, be remanded in custody.

The order followed submissions by defence counsel led by Joseph Daudu (SAN) and the prosecution team headed by Ekele Iheneacho (SAN).

Malami and the other defendants are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 16-count charges related to money laundering.

According to the EFCC, the defendants allegedly conspired at different times to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.

The commission claims that the alleged offences spanned several years and involved the use of corporate entities and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of large sums of cash as loan collateral, and the purchase of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano, and other locations.

The EFCC further alleges that some of the transactions were carried out while Malami was in office as Attorney-General of the Federation, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.