A Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled January 7 to hear the bail application of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is facing allegations bordering on money laundering.
Malami is currently being held at the Kuje Correctional Centre following his arraignment before the court.
The former justice minister, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on a 16-count charge.
The defendants are accused of laundering a total sum of ₦8.7 billion and all entered pleas of not guilty when they appeared before the court on December 29, 2025.
After taking their pleas, the presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered that they be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre until January 2, 2026, when their legal team is expected to argue their written bail applications.
According to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, the prosecution alleges that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds believed to have been derived from unlawful activities.
The charge further states that the alleged offences involved the use of several bank accounts, corporate vehicles, and high-value property transactions spanning almost a decade, with the intention of indirectly acquiring the illicit funds.
Court documents indicate that the alleged financial crimes were committed between 2015 and 2025, largely within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Malami’s tenure as the nation’s Attorney General.
The EFCC alleged that Malami and his son used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal ₦1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025.
They were also accused of paying an additional ₦600 million into the same account between September 2020 and February 2021.
Among the properties linked to the alleged scheme are a luxury duplex on Amazon Street in Maitama, reportedly purchased for ₦500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent in Garki acquired for ₦700 million; and another located in the Jabi District, valued at ₦850 million.
Other properties referenced in the charge include real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama, bought for ₦430 million; properties in Asokoro District valued at ₦210 million and ₦325 million; and a property at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, purchased for ₦120 million.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that Malami deployed unlawful proceeds amounting to ₦952 million to acquire multiple properties across Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023.
These acquisitions, according to the EFCC, were carried out through proxies and corporate entities to deliberately obscure the true ownership of the assets.
The commission maintained that the alleged acts contravene the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), as well as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
What you should know
The case against Abubakar Malami is one of the most high-profile corruption trials involving a former Attorney General of the Federation.
The EFCC is alleging a complex network of financial transactions and property acquisitions spanning nearly ten years. While Malami and the co-defendants have denied all charges, the outcome of the bail hearing scheduled for January 7 will determine whether they remain in custody as the trial proceeds.
The court’s handling of the case is expected to draw significant public and legal scrutiny due to Malami’s former position and influence.
