Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has pleaded not guilty to a 16-count money laundering charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Malami entered his plea before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, alongside his co-defendants; his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Bashir Asabe, identified in court papers as his fourth wife. All three denied the charges when they were read by the court registrar.
The EFCC’s charge alleges that the defendants conspired over several years to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities, with the suspected proceeds running into several billions of naira.
According to the anti-graft agency, the alleged offences involved the use of companies and multiple bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of large cash sums as collateral for bank loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The commission further alleged that some of the offences dated back to the period when Malami was Nigeria’s chief law officer, suggesting potential breaches of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
