Olushola Omogbehin
An Abuja Federal High Court on Friday has said that the earlier bail granted to the former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami no longer stands.
According to the court, since the matter is new before it, previous proceedings such as the bail granted by Justice Emeka Nwite, were considered terminated, thereby requiring a fresh bail application.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik directed that Malami and his son be held at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe is to be kept at the Suleja Medium Correctional Centre.
At the beginning of the proceeding, the prosecution counsel, Chief J.S. Okutepa (SAN), informed the court that the case was appearing before Justice Abdulmalik for the first time and thus asked for permission to read the amended charges.
Following Malami, his son, Abdulaziz, and his wife, Asabe, pleading not guilty to the amended charges, the prosecution urged the court to fix a date for trial.
The defence, led by J.B. Daudu (SAN), however, asked the court to sustain the earlier bail conditions granted by Justice Nwite, arguing that the Federal High Court is one court and that the defendants had already been admitted to bail.
Count one of the charge reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between July 2022 and June 2025, in Abuja, procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the sum of N1,014,848,500.00 (One Billion, Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Forty-Eight Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) in a Sterling Bank Plc account, when they reasonably ought to have known that the sum constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.
Count five reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami and Hajia Bashir Asabe, an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, sometime in September 2024, in Abuja, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1,049,173,926.13 (One Billion, Forty-Nine Million, One Hundred and Seventy-Three Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty-Six Naira, Thirteen Kobo) paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, Jabi, between November 2022 and September 2024, contrary to Section 21 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under Sections 18(2)(a) and 18(3) of the same Act”.
Count six reads: “That you Abubakar Malami, SAN, and Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, between November 2022 and October 2025, indirectly took control of the aggregate sum of N1,362,887,872.96 (One Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Eight Hundred and Eighty-Seven Thousand, Eight Hundred and Seventy-Two Naira, Ninety-Six Kobo) paid through the Union Bank Plc savings account of Meethaq Hotels Limited, when they reasonably ought to have known that the funds constituted proceeds of unlawful activities, contrary to Section 18(2)(d) and punishable under Section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik held that the earlier bail no longer stood following the reassignment of the case.
She said, “I am of the view that the earlier bail has been terminated. In that wise, I order that fresh bail applications be filed before this court.”
The case was adjourned to March 6, 2026, for hearing of bail applications and the commencement of trial.
