A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, his wife Asabe Bashir, and their son Abdulaziz Malami in an alleged money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Delivering the ruling on Friday, the trial judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, granted each of the defendants bail in the sum of N200 million, with two sureties in like sum.

As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that one of the sureties must deposit title deeds of a property located in either Maitama or Asokoro areas of Abuja. The judge also directed the defendants to surrender their international passports to the court.

The court further ruled that the three defendants would remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions.

Background

Malami, his wife, and their son were re-arraigned on Friday before the court following the reassignment of the case.

In a 16-count charge, the EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to launder proceeds of unlawful activities between 2015 and 2025, using bank accounts and corporate entities to conceal the source and ownership of funds estimated at over N8.1 billion.

According to the anti-graft agency, the defendants allegedly routed large sums of money through companies linked to the Malami family, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited and Meethaq Hotels Limited, with transactions conducted through several commercial banks.

The commission claimed the funds were structured in a manner intended to disguise their illicit origin and evade regulatory scrutiny.

The charge sheet further alleged that part of the funds—about N600 million—was retained as cash collateral for bank facilities, which the EFCC said the defendants knew or ought reasonably to have known were proceeds of unlawful activities.

The EFCC also accused the defendants of using the funds to acquire high-value residential and commercial properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states, allegedly purchased directly or through proxies to conceal beneficial ownership.

According to the commission, the defendants conspired to retain control of illicit funds, indirectly acquire assets, and disguise the true source of the money through a series of financial transactions and corporate vehicles.