Malami, son, wife plead not guilty to 16-count EFCC charges
Abubakar Malami (SAN), a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday to 16 counts of money laundering brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Malami appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja, accompanied by his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his fourth wife, Bashir Asabe.
All three defendants refuted the allegations after the court registrar presented the charges during the arraignment process.
The EFCC claimed that the defendants collaborated at various times to hide, retain, and disguise the proceeds of illegal activities totaling several billions of naira.
As per the anti-graft agency, the alleged crimes spanned several years and included complex financial transactions aimed at laundering money via multiple companies and bank accounts.
The commission also accused the defendants of keeping substantial amounts of cash as loan collateral and using those funds to purchase high-value real estate in Abuja, Kano, and other locations across the nation.
Additionally, the EFCC stated that some of the purported money laundering activities took place while Malami was serving as Nigeria’s chief legal officer.
“The defendants are alleged to have committed actions that violate the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022,” the prosecution asserted.
Justice Emeka Nwite postponed the case to a future date to allow the court to review the defendants’ bail applications and schedule the start of the trial.
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