The Federal Government has instituted fresh money laundering charges against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, over alleged financial transactions exceeding ₦1 billion.
The 16-count charge, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant, with Hajia Bashir Asabe named as a co-defendant.
According to court documents, the defendants are accused of handling, transferring, retaining, and concealing funds reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. Investigators allegedly traced a total of ₦1,014,848,500 to transactions linked to a Sterling Bank account.
Prosecutors claim the funds were laundered through corporate entities, notably Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, which was allegedly used as a front to obscure the source and movement of the money. The charge further alleges that between 2015 and 2025, several properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states were acquired with illicit funds.
The properties reportedly include luxury homes in prime Abuja locations such as Maitama, Asokoro, Gwarimpa, and Jabi, with some of the transactions said to have occurred while Malami was in office as Attorney-General.
One of the counts alleges that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of over ₦1.014 billion, an offence said to contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The charge sheet also outlines the alleged use of bank accounts, hotel businesses, and real estate firms to retain, move, or disguise large sums of money, including payments for hotels, plazas, duplexes, and landed properties. Prosecutors argue that the defendants “reasonably ought to have known” the funds were derived from illegal activities.
Malami served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General from 2015 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari and faced repeated corruption allegations during his tenure, which he consistently denied.
Meanwhile, in a related case, the Federal High Court in Abuja had earlier granted Malami interim bail in a separate matter involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The court ordered him to surrender his passport and comply with existing bail conditions, including providing two sureties.
The case has been adjourned to January 5, 2026, for further proceedings.
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