The Federal High Court in Abuja has postponed the hearing of a bail application filed by former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to January 7, 2026.
Malami is currently being held at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, over alleged money laundering offences brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He is standing trial alongside his son, Abdulaziz Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and one of his wives, Bashir Asabe.
The trio is facing a 16-count charge bordering on the laundering of ₦8.7 billion. When they were arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite on December 29, 2025, all the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following their plea, the court ordered that they be remanded in custody pending the determination of their bail application.
Although the bail hearing was initially fixed for January 2, 2026, the court later adjourned the matter to January 7 for arguments on the application.
According to the EFCC, the charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleges that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds of unlawful activities between 2015 and 2025, mostly within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Malami’s tenure as Attorney General.
The commission alleged that Malami and his son used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to hide ₦1.014 billion in a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025. They were also accused of depositing another ₦600.01 million into the same account between September 2020 and February 2021.
Investigators further claimed that the alleged illicit funds were used to acquire several high-value properties in Abuja. These include a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, bought for ₦500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki, purchased for ₦700 million; and another in Jabi District valued at ₦850 million.
Other properties listed in the charge include real estate on Rhine Street, Maitama, worth ₦430 million; properties in Asokoro District purchased for ₦210 million and ₦325 million; and a property at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, acquired for ₦120 million.
The EFCC also alleged that Malami used unlawful proceeds totaling ₦952 million to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023, allegedly using proxies and corporate entities to conceal ownership.
The anti-graft agency maintained that the alleged offences violate the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
