A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city and seat of the Federal Government, has ordered the remand of Nigeria’s former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the determination of bail applications filed on his behalf.
The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, was issued by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, who also directed that Malami’s co-defendants, his son, Abubakar Malami, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe, be remanded in the same custodial facility located in Kuje, a satellite town within the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.
Okay News reports that the court made the remand order after listening to detailed submissions from both the defence and prosecution teams regarding the bail applications. The defence team was led by Joseph Daudu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, while the prosecution was represented by Ekele Iheneacho, also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The defendants are currently standing trial on a sixteen-count charge bordering on money laundering, filed against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria’s leading anti-graft agency responsible for investigating and prosecuting financial crimes.
According to the charges presented before the court, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that the defendants conspired at various times to conceal, retain, and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.
The commission further alleged that the offences were carried out over a number of years through complex financial arrangements, including the use of multiple companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of large sums of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties located in Abuja, Kano State in northern Nigeria, and other undisclosed locations.
Prosecutors also told the court that some of the alleged offences were committed while Malami was serving as Nigeria’s chief law officer, a position he held between 2019 and 2023, in violation of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act of 2011, as amended, and the Money Laundering Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022.
Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to a later date for the hearing and determination of the bail applications, while ordering that the defendants remain in custody pending further proceedings.
Further details on the case are expected as the trial progresses.
