The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday granted former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), bail in the sum of N500m over alleged money laundering offences, but ordered his remand at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of stringent bail conditions.
Justice Emeka Nwite admitted Malami to bail alongside his son, Abdulaziz, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, Hajia Asabe Bashir, who are facing a 16-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In his ruling, the judge directed that Malami must provide two sureties, each to post N500m, with landed properties located in Maitama, Asokoro or Gwarimpa in Abuja. The court ordered that the property documents be verified by the Deputy Chief Registrar, while the sureties are to swear to affidavits of means.
Justice Nwite further ordered the former justice minister to deposit his international passport and other travel documents with the court and barred him from travelling outside the country without prior permission. Malami and his sureties were also directed to submit two recent passport photographs each.
Pending the perfection of the bail terms, the court ordered that Malami be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre. As of the time of filing this report, friends, associates and sympathisers were seen within the court premises, reportedly making efforts to meet the bail conditions.
The trial was fixed to commence on February 17.
The EFCC had vigorously opposed the bail application, arguing that Malami, given his status and alleged international connections, posed a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses. Counsel to the anti-graft agency, Ekele Iheanacho (SAN), contended that the severity of the charges and potential punishment increased the likelihood of the defendants evading trial.
However, Justice Nwite dismissed the objections, describing the EFCC’s claims as speculative and unsupported by evidence. He held that no witness was named as having been threatened or compromised, stressing that the Constitution presumes every defendant innocent until proven guilty. According to the judge, the interest of justice would be better served by granting bail under strict conditions.
Malami, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has been in EFCC custody since December 8, following his alleged inability to meet earlier administrative bail conditions.
The defendants are accused of conspiracy and the concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to billions of naira, allegedly committed between November 2015 and June 2025. The prosecution alleges that the funds were laundered through companies and used to acquire high-end properties in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and other locations.
Among the allegations are claims that Malami and his son used a firm, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal over N1bn and another sum exceeding N600m between 2022 and 2025. The EFCC also alleged that Rahamaniyya Properties Limited was used to mask N500m paid for a luxury duplex in Maitama.
Other counts relate to alleged transactions running into hundreds of millions of naira for properties in Maitama, Asokoro, Garki, Jabi and Gwarimpa, with the prosecution insisting that the defendants reasonably ought to have known that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activities.
