Former Attorney-General Malami, his son, and wife have been granted N600 million bail in connection with a money laundering case.
Touchaheart—The Federal High Court in Abuja issued the bail on Friday to Abubakar Malami, SAN, the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who faces charges of laundering approximately N9 billion in public funds alongside his son and wife.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik set the bail at N200 million for each defendant, requiring two sureties, each also valued at N200 million.
Previously, on February 27, the court had ordered the remand of the former AGF, his son Abdulaziz, and one of his wives, Hajia Bashir Asabe, in prison custody. This followed their re-arraignment on a 16-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The remand order came after Justice Abdulmalik declined to uphold the initial bail conditions granted to the defendants on January 7.
After the defendants entered pleas of not guilty, defense counsel Joseph Daudu, SAN, reminded the court of the bail terms set by Justice Emeka Nwite, who had initially presided over the case as a vacation judge.
The EFCC’s counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, acknowledged that the defendants had met the initial bail requirements. However, he argued that the re-arraignment gave the court discretion to decide whether they could continue to enjoy bail.
After hearing both arguments, Justice Abdulmalik declared that the case was starting anew before her and that proceedings before Justice Nwite had legally concluded.
Consequently, she ordered the defendants to file a fresh bail application, which was subsequently granted on Friday.
As part of the new bail conditions, the court stipulated that one surety must provide title documents for a property located in either the Maitama or Asokoro districts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Additionally, the defendants are required to surrender their international passports and are forbidden from traveling outside Nigeria without prior authorization.
Justice Abdulmalik specified that the defendants would remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service until all bail conditions are met.
The trial is scheduled to begin on March 16.
The court had initially set bail at N500 million each, with two sureties in the same amount.
The EFCC accused Malami, who served as Justice Minister from November 11, 2015, to May 29, 2023, under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, of acquiring valuable properties in Abuja, Kebbi, and Kano to conceal proceeds of crime.
The commission alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to hide over N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account.
The EFCC further accuses them of using the same company to divert approximately N600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.
The EFCC also stated that the defendants retained N600 million in March 2021 as cash collateral for a N500 million loan obtained by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd from Sterling Bank, allegedly knowing the funds were proceeds of crime.
These actions, the EFCC contends, constitute breaches of multiple provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
Witnesses expected to testify against the defendants include investigators, bank officials, real estate agents, and Bureau de Change operators.
The former AGF is also facing a separate five-count charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) for alleged terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms, also implicating his son.
Malami was arrested and detained by the DSS after fulfilling the bail conditions for the EFCC case, and was subsequently released from prison.
