Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday entered a plea of not guilty to a 16-count money laundering charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
His co-defendants, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, his son, and Bashir Asabe, his fourth wife, also denied the allegations when the charges were read to them in open court.
The trio was arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the charge sheet, the EFCC accused the defendants of conspiring on different occasions to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.
The commission alleged that the offences were carried out over a number of years through the use of corporate entities and multiple bank accounts to launder funds. Other allegations include the retention of large sums of cash as collateral for loans and the purchase of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The anti-graft agency further claimed that some of the alleged offences were committed during Malami’s tenure as Attorney-General of the Federation, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, as amended, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
