Malami Pleads Not Guilty To Money Laundering Charges
A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has pleaded not guilty to a 16-count money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Malami’s co-defendants – his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his fourth wife, Bashir Asabe — also pleaded not guilty to all the counts when the charges were read to them by the court registrar on Tuesday.
The defendants were arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The EFCC, in the charge, alleged that the defendants conspired at various times to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities running into several billions of naira.
EFCC noted that the alleged offences span several years and involve the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The Commission further alleged that some of the offences were committed while Malami was serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, in breach of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
