Nigeria's former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, and his son, Abdulaziz Malami, have entered a plea of not guilty to a 16-count charge of money laundering brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The charges allege the laundering of public funds totalling approximately ₦9 billion.
Court Arraignment and Bail Application
The duo was arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Emeka Nwite, who is sitting as a vacation judge in Abuja. Following their plea of innocence, the defence counsel, Mr J. B. Daudu, SAN, made an oral application for bail pending the determination of the case.
However, the prosecution team from the EFCC urged the court to reject the bail application and instead order an accelerated hearing of the case. The court is set to consider these opposing requests as the proceedings continue.
Details of the ₦9 Billion Allegations
The EFCC's charges, which contravene the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, centre on the alleged use of a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal illicit funds. The commission presented specific counts to the court detailing the accusations.
One count alleges that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants used the company to conceal over ₦1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account. Another count claims that between September 2020 and February 2021, the same company was used to siphon about ₦600 million.
A further serious allegation states that in March 2021, the defendants retained ₦600 million as cash collateral for a ₦500 million loan obtained by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd from Sterling Bank, despite allegedly knowing the funds were proceeds of crime.
Property Purchase and Defence Counterclaims
The charges also detail an alleged attempt to disguise the origin of ₦500 million used to purchase a luxury duplex on Amazon Street in the highbrow Maitama district of Abuja from Efab Properties Ltd. The EFCC claims this transaction involved Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, in November 2022.
In response to earlier EFCC claims, Malami's media aide, Bello Doka, has publicly rejected allegations that the former minister operates 46 bank accounts or has ties to recovered Abacha loot. Doka stated that Malami maintains only six known accounts and challenged the EFCC to publicly substantiate its claims by publishing details of the alleged accounts.
Doka emphasised that Malami was not formally confronted with the 46-account allegation during interrogation and described the claims as "ridiculous and baseless." He affirmed the former minister's continued cooperation with investigators while thanking supporters for their solidarity.
The case continues before Justice Nwite, with the EFCC maintaining its stance for a speedy trial to determine the outcome of these high-profile charges.
