Money laundering: FG salms fresh charges on Ex-AGF Malami, son

The Federal Government has filed fresh money laundering charges against a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, over alleged financial transactions running into more than N1 billion.

The new charges, contained in a 16-count charge suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, are marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is listed as the complainant in the case.

Also named as a co-defendant is Hajia Bashir Asabe, according to court documents sighted.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants were involved in the handling, transfer and concealment of funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The charges claim that the transactions violated provisions of Nigeria’s money laundering laws.

Details of the alleged transactions show that the funds were moved through different channels in a manner believed to be designed to hide their true source. The prosecution maintains that the actions of the defendants amount to money laundering and related financial offences.

Investigators allegedly traced a total of N1,014,848,500 to a Sterling Bank account linked to the transactions.

The prosecution claims the funds were laundered through corporate entities, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, which was allegedly used as a front to obscure the source and movement of the money.

It is further alleged that between 2015 and 2025, several properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states were acquired with illicit funds.

The properties reportedly include luxury homes in high-end areas such as Maitama, Asokoro, Gwarimpa, and Jabi, with some transactions said to have occurred while Malami was in office as Attorney-General.

One of the counts alleges that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of over N1.014 billion, an offence said to contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charge sheet also outlines the alleged use of bank accounts, hotel businesses, and real estate firms to retain, move, or disguise large sums of money, including payments for hotels, plazas, duplexes, and landed properties.

Prosecutors argue that the defendants “reasonably ought to have known” the funds were derived from illegal activities.

Malami served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General from 2015 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and faced repeated corruption allegations during his tenure, which he consistently denied.

Meanwhile, in a related case, the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier granted Malami interim bail in a separate matter involving the EFCC.

The court ordered him to surrender his passport and meet existing bail conditions, including providing two sureties.

The case has been adjourned until January 5, 2026, for further proceedings.

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