Court orders remand of Malami, wife, son over alleged N8.7bn money laundering

By Sabiu Abdullahi

A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, has ordered the remand of former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, pending the hearing of their bail applications.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the order on Friday, February 27, 2026. She directed that Malami and his son be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe is to be kept at the Suleja Medium Correctional Centre.

The defendants were re-arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the case was reassigned from Justice Emeka Nwite to Justice Abdulmalik.

They are facing an amended 16-count charge that borders on conspiracy, procurement, concealment, and laundering of alleged illicit funds totaling N8,713,923,759.49, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

At the start of proceedings, prosecution counsel, Chief J.S. Okutepa (SAN), informed the court that the matter was appearing before Justice Abdulmalik for the first time. He sought permission for the amended charges to be read. He also pointed out corrections in Counts 11 and 12 to align the numerical figures with the amounts already written in words.

Defence counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN), did not oppose the corrections but asked the prosecution to make a formal application. The court granted the request to amend the figures.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between July 2022 and June 2025, in Abuja, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500.00 (One Billion, Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) in a Sterling Bank Plc account, when they reasonably ought to have known that the sum constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count five reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, sometime in September 2024, in Abuja, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1,049,173,926.13 (One Billion, Forty-Nine Million, One Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Six Naira, Thirteen Kobo) paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024, contrary to Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Sections 18(2)(a) and 18(3) of the same Act”.

Count six reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between November 2022 and October 2025, indirectly took control of the aggregate sum of N1,362,887,872.96 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Two Naira, Ninety-Six Kobo) paid through the Union Bank Plc savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, when they reasonably ought to have known that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The three defendants pleaded “not guilty” to all charges. The prosecution then asked the court to fix a trial date and remand them in custody.

The defence told the court that the defendants had earlier been granted bail by Justice Nwite and had complied with all conditions. Counsel said, “My Lord, the defendants were granted bail when they were first arraigned before Justice Nwite and the conditions were perfected. They have not flouted any of the conditions. The Federal High Court is one. We pray that the existing bail should continue.”

In response, the prosecution acknowledged the earlier bail but argued that the court could either adopt the previous terms or impose new ones. He said, “Your lordship has the discretion to either adopt the terms earlier granted or subject them to fresh bail conditions to ensure their attendance in court. The conditions can be transferred to this court since it is the same Federal High Court.”

In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the earlier bail no longer stood following the reassignment of the case. She said, “I am of the view that the earlier bail has been terminated. In that wise, I order that fresh bail applications be filed before this court.”

The court rejected an oral bail request by the defence and directed that a formal application be submitted due to the nature of the allegations.

Justice Abdulmalik also ordered the prosecution to allow defence counsel access to the defendants to prepare for trial. The case was adjourned to March 6, 2026, for hearing of bail applications and the commencement of trial.