Alleged Money Laundering: Court Accepts Nine Exhibits in Trial of Ex-AGF Malami, Family

Proceedings continued at a Federal High Court in Abuja as nine documentary exhibits were admitted in the alleged money laundering trial involving former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, his wife Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son Abubakar Malami Jr.

The case, overseen by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, involves a 16-count charge brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission bordering on alleged laundering of N8.7 billion.

The prosecution tendered the exhibits through its fourth witness, Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, who said the documents were provided in response to EFCC requests.

He explained that as part of his duties, he handles correspondence from law enforcement agencies and ensured compliance by supplying records linked to accounts belonging to the defendants and associated companies.

The entities listed included Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

“The documents were nine in number that I can identify when presented in court,” he said.

Despite objections from defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, the court admitted the documents as Exhibits D1 to D9.

While giving evidence, the witness detailed account activities spanning over a decade.

He told the court that one of the accounts recorded transactions from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2023.

“There were transfers within that period,” he said, confirming active use of the accounts.

He disclosed that credits into one account totalled N383,637,21.55 between 2016 and 2023, and N560,506,465.12 between 2012 and 2015, while corresponding debits stood at N384,322,120.85 and N571,891,174.08 respectively.

Highlighting specific transactions, he said:

“On November 11, 2020, the account received N194,791,608.00 from New Horizons Limited… and on June 24, 2022, it received N622,500,000.00 from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.”

He also noted inflows of N250 million each on July 1 and July 7, 2022, from Rayhaan Hotels Limited, as well as N500 million on December 22, 2022.

Following the proceedings, defence counsel requested an adjournment to study the exhibits ahead of cross-examination.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.

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