Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to a 16-count money laundering charge filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Malami was arraigned alongside his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, and his fourth wife, Bashir Asabe, who also pleaded not guilty to all the charges read to them by the court registrar.
The defendants appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the charge, the EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired at different times to conceal, retain and disguise proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to several billions of naira.
The anti-graft agency further alleged that the offences spanned several years and involved the use of companies and bank accounts to launder funds, the retention of large sums of cash as collateral for loans, and the acquisition of high-value properties in Abuja, Kano and other locations.
The EFCC also claimed that some of the alleged offences were committed while Malami was serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
