The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday remanded former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, in prison custody over an alleged N9 billion money laundering case.
Also remanded were his son, Abdulaziz Malami, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe, following their re-arraignment on a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, ordered that Malami and his son be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe was ordered to be held at the Suleja Correctional Centre in Niger State. They are to remain in custody until March 6 when their fresh bail applications will be heard.
The trio was re-arraigned after the case was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik. They pleaded not guilty to all 16 counts bordering on alleged laundering of public funds totalling about N9 billion.
At the resumed proceedings, EFCC counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, informed the court that the matter was coming up for the first time before the new judge and sought the taking of the defendants’ pleas. He also applied for corrections in Counts 11 and 12, reducing the sums from N325 billion to N325 million and from N120 billion to N120 million respectively. The defence did not oppose the application, and the court granted it.
Following the plea, defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, urged the court to allow the defendants to continue on the bail earlier granted to them on January 7 by Justice Emeka Nwite, who had initially presided over the matter as a vacation judge. He argued that the defendants had already perfected the bail conditions.
However, Justice Abdulmalik held that the case had commenced afresh before her and that proceedings conducted by the previous judge had legally terminated. She directed the defendants to file fresh formal bail applications, rejecting efforts by the defence to make oral applications.
According to the EFCC, Malami, who served as Justice Minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, allegedly acquired properties in Abuja, Kebbi, and Kano in a bid to conceal proceeds of crime.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal over N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account and siphoned about N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021 through the same company.
The commission also accused them of retaining N600 million in March 2021 as cash collateral for a N500 million loan obtained by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd from Sterling Bank, despite allegedly knowing the funds were proceeds of crime. The offences were said to contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
The court was told that investigators, bank officials, real estate agents, and Bureau de Change operators would testify during the trial.
Malami is also facing a separate five-count charge of alleged terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) against him and his son.
The case was previously handled by Justices Emeka Nwite and Obiora Egwuatu before being reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik. Malami had earlier been granted N500 million bail alongside his co-defendants before fresh proceedings led to their remand.
