Abubakar Malami (SAN), who was the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice until recently, has been accused with money laundering.
He will be charged with 16 counts.
The Nation said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged him with violating Section 15(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, and punishable under Section 15(3).
He is being charged with his son Abdulaziz and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, Hajia Bashir Asabe.
In the first of three charges, Malami was accused of laundering over N9 billion to acquire nice homes in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and other places.
The former AGF has to explain how he got 30 properties for N212.8 billion.
Most of them were bought while he was in office for eight years.
He worked for the government of the late President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023.
The EFCC may employ the Non-Conviction Asset Forfeiture Article in its Establishment Act to take some of the assets.
It has 14 days to ask anyone who wants to why the assets shouldn’t be given to the Federal Government.
The Federal High Court in Abuja is going to give the anti-graft commission a date for the start of the trial.
The charge sheet was written on December 23, 2025.
Chief Jibrin Okutepa (SAN) and Ekene Iheanacho (SAN) are leading 14 other lawyers in what looks like the biggest trial of all time.
The Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) says that at least 10 witnesses must be brought to court.
Malami didn’t say anything official yesterday since the anti-graft agency still had him in their custody.
His latest response was a statement in which he urged Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Executive Chairman of EFCC, to step down from his trial.
The 16 charges showed how Malami used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to clean up money.
The charges are as follows:
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between July 2022 and June 2025 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, got Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide the illegal source of the total amount of N1,014,848,500.00 (One Billion, Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) in the Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387 when you should have known that the money came from illegal activities. This is against Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while serving as the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami between September 2020 and February 2021 in Abuja, where this Court has jurisdiction, caused Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide the illegal source of the total amount of N600,013,460.4 in Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387 when you should have known that the amount was the result of illegal activities. This is a violation of Section 18(c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amended by Act No. 1 of 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.
That you Abubakar Malami SAN while being the Attorney-General of the Federation and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami sometime in March, 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did retain the total sum of N600,000,000.00 in Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited as cash collateral for a loan of N500,000,000.00 granted to RAYHAAN HOTELS LTD by Sterling Bank Plc when you reasonably ought to have known that the said cash collateral of N600,000,000.00 was proceed of unlawful activities and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 18(c) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 as amendedpunishable under section 15(3) of the same Act
You, Abubakar Malami SAN, were the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, did indirectly hide the illegal source of the total amount of N500,000,000.00 paid to Efab Properties Ltd for the purchase of property known as luxury duplex at Amazon street, Plot No. 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja in favor of Abubakar Malami SAN when you reasonably should have known that the said N500million was the result of illegal activity and you thereby committed an offense contrary to section 18(2)(a) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
You, Abubakar Malami SAN, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, conspired to hide the illegal source of the total amount of N1,049,173,926.13 that was paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd Jabi savings Account No. 0179011105 between November 2022 and September 2024. This is against Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022 and is punishable under Section 18(2) (a) and (3) of the same Act.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between November 2022 and October 2025, took control of the total amount of N1,362,887,872.96 that was paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited in Union Bank Plc. You should have known that this money came from illegal activity, which is a crime under Section 18(2) (d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, sometimes between November and December 2018 in Abuja, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly hid the illegal source of the total amount of N700,000,000.00 paid for the purchase of the property known as No. 3 Onitsha Crescent Area 11, Garki Abuja (Hamonia Hotels Ltd) in favor of Abubakar Malami SAN when you should have known that the said sum of N700,000,000.00 was the result of illegal activity. You did this in violation of section 15(2) (d) and punishable under section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd., sometimes between September 2020 and December 2020 in Abuja, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly hid the total amount of N850,000,000.00 that was paid for the purchase of property known as Plot 683 Jabi District Cadastral Zone B04 (Meethaq Hotels Ltd, Jabi). You should have known that this amount represented proceeds of unlawful activity, and you therefore committed an offence under Section 15(2) (d) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, on or about February 2018 in Abuja, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly acquired the property described as No. 3 Rhine Street Maitama, Abuja (Meethaq Hotels Ltd) for a total of N430,000,000.00 when you should have known that the said sum of N430,000,000.00 was the result of illegal activity.
That you Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, sometimes in or around February 2018 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly hid the illegal source of the total amount of N210,000,000.00 paid for the purchase of the property known as No. 3130 Cadastral Zone A04 Asokoro District, Abuja, in favor of Abubakar Malami SAN when you should have known that the said sum of N210,000,000.00 represented proceeds of illegal activity. You thereby committed an offense against section 15(2)(d) and punishable under section 15(3) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while you were the Attorney-General of the Federation, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, between March and June 2021 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly hid the illegal source of the total amount of N325,000,000,000.00 paid for the purchase of property described as No. 1241B Asokoro District Zone (No. 11A Yakubu Gowon Crescent Asokoro) in favor of Abubakar Malami SAN when you should have known that the said sum of N325,000,000.00 was proceeds of illegal activity.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, between November 2015 and January 2016 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did conspire among yourselves to conceal the unlawful origin of the funds paid for the purchase of property known as luxury duplex at Amazon street, Plot No. 3011 within Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022 and punishable under Section 18(2) (a) and (3) of the same Act.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, conspired in November 2022 in Abuja, which is within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, to hide the illegal source of the money used to buy a luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Plot No. 3011 in Cadastral Zone A06 Maitama District, Abuja. This is against Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition Act) 2022 and is punishable under Section 18(2) (a) and (3) of the same Act.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, Hajia Bashir Asabe, while being an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Ltd, and other people at large between December 2016 and April 2022 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired to indirectly acquire landed properties for Abubakar Malami SAN with money from illegal activities. You did this in violation of section 18 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition Act) 2011 and are punishable under section 15(2)(a) and (3) of the same Act.
That you, Abubakar Malami SAN, while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, between June and January 2023 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, indirectly hid the illegal source of the total amount of N537,000,000.00 that you paid for the properties, namely (i) No. 26 Babbi Street, BUA Estate, Abuja, (ii) 4 bedroom Bungalow, Guesse 2 Brinin-Kebbi, and (iii) No. 4 Ahmadu Bello Way, Kano, Nassarawa GRA, Kano, knowing that the said sum of N537,000,000.00 formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2) (a) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
“That you Abubakar Malami SAN while being the Attorney-General of the Federation, between October 2018 and December, 2021 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court indirectly concealed the aggregate sum N415,000,000.00 which you paid for the purchase of the properties namely (i) No. 28 Bagudu Kaltio crescent Gwarimpa, Abuja (ii) Plot 13, Ipent 7 Estate Abuja and (iii) A Plaza, Commercial Toilets, Laundry and Warehouse Tanks Adjacent to Brinin Kebbi Market (iv) 100 hectares of land Along Brinin Kebbi, Jeba Road (v) Plot 157 Lamido Crescent, Nassarawa Road GRA, Kano knowing that the said sum of N415,000,000.00 formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 15(2) (a) and punishable under Section 15(3) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended.”
About the Author
