Court remands Malami, wife, son in Kuje prison over alleged N8.7bn money laundering

A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday 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, at the Kuje Correctional Centre over alleged money laundering offences involving N8.7 billion.

Justice Emeka Nwite issued the remand order after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) opposed an oral bail application by the defence, insisting that the prosecution must be given adequate time to file a formal response.

The EFCC had arraigned Malami and his co-defendants on a 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The alleged offences involve a total sum of N8,713,923,759.49.

At the hearing, prosecuting counsel, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and requested that the charges be read. Defence counsel, J. B. Daudu (SAN), did not object, and the defendants subsequently took their pleas.

One of the charges alleges that Malami and his son, between July 2022 and June 2025, used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of N1,014,848,500 lodged in a Sterling Bank account, knowing or having reason to know that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.

Another count alleges that Malami, his wife and son conspired in September 2024 to disguise the unlawful origin of N1,049,173,926.13 paid through the Union Bank account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024. The EFCC further accused Malami and his son of indirectly taking control of N1,362,887,872.96 paid through the same company’s Union Bank savings account between November 2022 and October 2025.

After the pleas were taken, the prosecution declared readiness for trial and requested a date, noting that it had only been served with the defence’s bail application a day earlier and required time to respond.

The defence, however, urged the court to grant bail orally, arguing that the offences were bailable and that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act did not make written bail applications compulsory.

Opposing the request, Iheanacho argued that bail applications must be supported by affidavit evidence, especially in cases involving serious economic crimes and complex financial transactions, adding that public interest considerations should guide the court.

In his ruling, Justice Nwite upheld the prosecution’s objection, ruling that it must be given sufficient opportunity to respond to the bail application. He consequently ordered the defendants’ remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre and adjourned the matter to January 2, 2026, for hearing of the bail application.

#UTVAfrica#