A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has fixed January 7 for a ruling on the bail application filed by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who is standing trial over alleged money laundering.

Mr. Malami is currently being remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.

Also facing trial alongside him are his son, Mr. Abdulaziz Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and one of his wives, Mrs. Bashir Asabe. The trio are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering.

They are accused of laundering a total sum of ₦8.7 billion. All three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were arraigned on December 29, 2025.

Following their pleas, the presiding judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, ordered that they be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre until January 2, 2026, when their written bail application was scheduled to be argued by their legal team.

The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, alleges that the defendants conspired to conceal, disguise, and retain proceeds derived from unlawful activities.

According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly employed multiple bank accounts, corporate entities, and high-value real estate transactions over a period of nearly ten years to indirectly acquire and launder the illicit funds.

The charge sheet further stated that the alleged offences were committed between 2015 and 2025, largely within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, during Mr. Malami’s tenure as the country’s Attorney-General.

The EFCC alleged that Mr. Malami and his son used a company, Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, to conceal ₦1.014 billion lodged in a Sterling Bank account between July 2022 and June 2025. They were also accused of depositing an additional ₦600 million between September 2020 and February 2021.

Among the properties allegedly acquired with the funds are a luxury duplex on Amazon Street, Maitama, purchased for ₦500 million; a property on Onitsha Crescent, Garki, acquired for ₦700 million; and another in the Jabi District, bought for ₦850 million.

Other alleged acquisitions include properties on Rhine Street, Maitama, valued at ₦430 million; in the Asokoro District, purchased for ₦210 million and ₦325 million; and at Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, acquired for ₦120 million.

The anti-graft agency further alleged that Mr. Malami utilised unlawful proceeds amounting to ₦952 million to acquire multiple properties in Abuja, Kano, and Birnin Kebbi between 2018 and 2023.

The EFCC claimed that the acquisitions were made through proxies and corporate entities in an attempt to conceal ownership.

According to the commission, the alleged actions contravene the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), as well as the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.