By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, is facing a 16-count alleged money laundering charge brought against him by the Federal Government.
The charges against the former minister were filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja with Malami’s son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties, as co-defendants.
This is even as the Federal Government has also identified properties worth billions of naira allegedly linked to the former AGF.
The Federal Government, in the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleged that Malami and his son procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to “conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N1, 014, 848, 500.00” between July 2022 and June 2025.
It also alleged that Malami procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to “conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N600,013,460.4 in the Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387 when you reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed proceeds of unlawful activities.”
The Federal Government said the alleged offences contravened the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
The charge sheet read in part, “That you ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN, whilst being the Attorney General of the Federation, ABUBAKAR ABDULAZIZ MALAMI, and HAJIA BASHIR ASABE an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd sometime in November, 2022 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this court did indirectly disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N500, 000, 000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) paid to Efab Properties Ltd paid for purchase of property known as luxury duplex at Amazon street, Plot No. 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja in favour of ABUBAKAR MALAMI SAN when you reasonably ought to have known that the said N500, 000, 000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) formed proceed of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2) (a) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
