By Our Correspondent
National News – A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday admitted nine documentary exhibits in the money laundering trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), his wife Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting them on amended 16-count charges of conspiracy, concealment, and laundering of alleged unlawful proceeds totalling N8.713 billion under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
EFCC’s fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a Zenith Bank compliance officer, tendered banking documents linked to accounts and firms allegedly associated with the defendants.
The exhibits, admitted as D1 to D9, included account opening forms, statements, and transaction records spanning several years.
The witness said Zenith Bank responded to EFCC requests with electronic and hard copies covering accounts linked to Malami, A.A. Malami & Co, Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, showing transactions between 2012 and 2023 financial years and multiple corporate accounts with detailed inflows and outflows.
Highlighted inflows included N194.7 million from New Horizons Limited in 2020, N622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in 2022, multiple N250 million credits from Rayhaan Hotels Limited, and a N500 million inflow in December 2022, among other transactions running into billions, with banking records showing consistent inflows and outflows across periods.
Defence counsel objected to parts of the evidence, but Justice Joyce Abdulmalik overruled the objection and admitted the exhibits.
The defence requested an adjournment to review the documents ahead of cross-examination, which the court granted.
The case was adjourned until May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
