The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday granted bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), his son, and his wife in the sum of N200 million each, totaling N600 million over an alleged money laundering case brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in her ruling, granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N200 million with two sureties in like sum . As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that one of the sureties must provide title documents of a property located in either Maitama or Asokoro districts of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja .
The court also ordered the defendants to surrender their international passports and barred them from travelling outside the country without permission . Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, the defendants are to remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service .
The defendants were re-arraigned on Friday before Justice Abdulmalik following the reassignment of the case. In a 16-count charge, the EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to launder proceeds of unlawful activities totalling over N8.1 billion between 2015 and 2025, using bank accounts and corporate entities to conceal the source and ownership of funds .
The commission alleged that the defendants routed large sums through companies linked to the Malami family, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited, through transactions carried out across several commercial banks . According to the EFCC, the funds were structured in a manner designed to disguise their illicit origin and evade regulatory scrutiny .
The charge sheet further alleged that part of the funds—including about N600 million—was retained as cash collateral for bank facilities, despite the defendants allegedly knowing or reasonably expected to know that the money was derived from unlawful activities . The anti-graft agency also accused the defendants of using the funds to acquire high-value residential and commercial properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states, either directly or through proxies, to conceal their beneficial ownership .
The court adjourned the case to March 16 for the commencement of trial .
This ruling follows a series of legal proceedings in the case. The court had on February 27 voided the earlier bail granted to the defendants by Justice Emeka Nwite, holding that since the matter had commenced afresh before her following reassignment, all previous proceedings—including the bail—were deemed terminated . The court had subsequently ordered the defendants to file a fresh bail application, which was granted on Friday .
Malami served as Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He is also facing a separate five-count charge of terrorism financing and illegal possession of firearms filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) .
