Money laundering: Again, EFCC arraigns ex-AGF Malami, wife, son

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned Abubakar Malami, former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), along with his wife, Asabe Bashir, and son, Abdulaziz, on charges of alleged money laundering.

The case was brought before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, following the reassignment of the matter to a new trial judge.

At the resumed hearing, EFCC lawyer Jibrin Okutepa told the court that it was the first time the case was being heard before the new judge and requested that the defendants be asked to enter their pleas.

“The matter is coming before your lordship this morning for the very first time. I will be applying for the plea of the defendants to be taken,” Okutepa said.

The EFCC counsel also applied to correct the amounts stated in counts 11 and 12 of the charge, seeking to amend the figures from N325 billion to N325 million in count 11, and from N120 billion to N120 million in count 12.

Joseph Daudu, counsel to the defendants, did not oppose the application. The court subsequently granted the request and effected the corrections.

Malami and the two other defendants thereafter pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge.

Malami and his co-defendants were initially arraigned before Emeka Nwite on December 30, 2025 during the court’s vacation period.

After the vacation, John Tsoho, chief judge of the federal high court, reassigned the case to Obiora Egwuatu, who later withdrew from the matter for “personal reasons” and returned the case files to the chief judge.

In the 16-count charge, the anti-graft agency alleged that the defendants conspired to launder proceeds of unlawful activity between 2015 and 2025, using bank accounts and corporate entities to conceal the source and ownership of the funds worth over N8.1 billion.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants routed huge sums of money through companies linked to the Malami family, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited, with transactions carried out through several commercial banks.

The funds were allegedly structured in a manner designed to disguise their illicit origin and avoid regulatory scrutiny.

According to the charge sheet, some of the funds were retained as cash collateral for bank facilities, including a sum of about N600 million, which the commission said the defendants knew or ought reasonably to have known were proceeds of unlawful activity.

The anti-graft agency also alleged that the defendants used the funds to acquire high-value property in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states. They include residential and commercial property allegedly purchased directly or through proxies as part of efforts to conceal beneficial ownership.

The EFCC also accused the defendants of conspiring among themselves to indirectly acquire assets, retain control of illicit funds, and disguise the true source of the money through layered financial transactions and corporate vehicles.

The alleged offences are said to contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and related laws.

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