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By Oscar Okhifo
Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, along with his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, were on Tuesday granted bail of ₦500 million each by the Federal High Court in Abuja in a high-profile money laundering trial.
Presiding Judge, Emeka Nwite, in open court, warned both the defendants and the public against any attempts to influence the proceedings.
“I want to make it very clear,” Justice Nwite said, adding that “any effort to interfere with this trial, directly or indirectly, will be met with the full force of the law. No one is above the court, and I will not hesitate to take action to protect the integrity of these proceedings.”
The court also ordered the defendants to deposit their international passports with the registrar of the court.
The bail comes with strict conditions: Apart from the ₦500 million , the defendants are required to provide sureties with verified landed property located either at Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarinpa districts in the Federal Capital Territory.
The documents of the properties must be deposited with the court.
According to Justice Nwite, until these conditions are met, the accused must remain in the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The trio were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in December 2025 following investigations into alleged misappropriation and laundering of public funds during and after Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The EFCC investigation uncovered transactions involving companies such as Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited, and high-value real estate purchases allegedly used to conceal billions of naira across Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi.
The defendants face a 16-count charge, including conspiracy, concealment, and unlawful retention of proceeds of crime, with a total amount under scrutiny of approximately ₦8.7 billion.
Over ₦1 billion was allegedly laundered through a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025. Another ₦600 million was allegedly moved through corporate accounts between September 2020 and February 2021.
There’s also an alleged acquisition of luxury properties worth over ₦500 million, including a duplex in Maitama, Abuja, and other real estate assets.
All alleged offences contravene provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition and Prevention) Act, 2022, among other laws.
The trial has been adjourned to February 17, 2026, when prosecution witnesses are expected to begin giving testimony.
The bail conditions were yet to be met at the time of filing this report.