The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to arraign a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, alongside his son and one other defendant, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, over alleged money laundering offences.
The anti-graft agency is prosecuting the former justice minister together with his son, Abubakar Malami, and Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, a company said to be linked to the former minister. The case is scheduled to come up before Justice Emeka Nwite, with the defendants facing a 16-count charge.
According to court filings, the EFCC accused the defendants of carrying out several financial transactions aimed at hiding the source of large sums of money allegedly obtained through unlawful means. The commission claimed that the funds were moved through different bank accounts and used to acquire high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and Kebbi States.
The alleged offences are said to have taken place between 2015 and 2025. This period covers the eight years Malami served as Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Court documents further showed that the EFCC has been investigating Malami at its Abuja office since Sunday, December 8, 2025.
In the charge, the commission alleged that Malami, his son and Asabe worked together to hide the source of the funds, buy properties through third parties and keep money they allegedly knew came from illegal activities. The EFCC said these actions breached the Money Laundering Acts of 2011, as amended, and 2022.
One of the counts alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, Malami and his son used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide ₦1,014,848,500 in a Sterling Bank account. Another count accused them of concealing ₦600,013,460.40 through the same company between September 2020 and February 2021.
The EFCC also alleged that in March 2021, the father and son retained ₦600 million as cash backing for a ₦500 million loan granted by Sterling Bank to Rayhaan Hotels Ltd, despite allegedly knowing that the money was from unlawful sources.
Several counts focused on property purchases in Abuja. The commission alleged that in November 2022, the defendants disguised ₦500 million used to buy a luxury duplex in Maitama. Other charges involved over ₦1 billion said to have been moved through Meethaq Hotels Ltd accounts, as well as ₦700 million allegedly used to acquire a property in Garki through Hamonia Hotels Ltd.
Further allegations included the purchase of properties in Jabi, Asokoro, Gwarimpa and other high-end districts of Abuja, with amounts ranging from ₦120 million to ₦850 million. The EFCC also claimed that additional properties were acquired across Abuja, Kebbi and Kano States between 2016 and 2023 using funds suspected to be proceeds of illegal activity.
In total, the commission listed multiple properties and transactions involving over ₦5 billion across the 16 counts.
The EFCC said it plans to call several witnesses during the trial, including its own officers, bank officials, Bureau De Change operators and financial experts. Among those listed to testify are officials from Zenith Bank Plc and Sterling Bank Plc, as well as individuals expected to explain how intelligence reports and petitions linked the former minister to the alleged transactions.
The commission also intends to present evidence on the role of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd in the alleged acquisition of properties on behalf of Malami.
The planned arraignment comes weeks after reports emerged that the former Attorney General was under investigation for multiple alleged offences, including money laundering and abuse of office. Malami has not publicly responded to the charges as of the time of filing this report.