A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted nine documents tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing tr...
A Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted nine documents tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the ongoing trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
Malami is being tried alongside his wife, Asabe Bashir, and his son, Abdulaziz, over allegations of money laundering involving N8.7 billion.
The anti-graft agency is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy and laundering of funds alleged to be proceeds of unlawful activities, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bank Witness Testifies
The exhibits were admitted on Monday after being presented in court by Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, who testified as the fourth prosecution witness.
Bata told the court that the bank received formal requests from the EFCC seeking account records linked to the defendants and associated companies. He said the bank complied by providing both electronic and hard copies of the requested documents.
The records, dated between July 2024 and March 2026, relate to accounts connected to several entities, including Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.
He affirmed that the documents were identifiable and formed part of the bank’s official records.
Counsel to the EFCC, Jibrin Okutepa, applied to tender the documents as evidence. Despite objections from defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, the court admitted the materials as exhibits.
Details of Transactions
During his testimony, Bata outlined financial transactions linked to accounts belonging to Malami and his law firm, A.A. Malami & Co.
According to him, one of the accounts recorded total credits of over N383.6 million between January 2016 and December 2023, while an additional N560.5 million was credited between January 2012 and December 2015.
On the debit side, he said over N384.3 million was withdrawn between 2016 and 2023, while N571.8 million was debited between 2012 and 2015.
The witness also highlighted specific inflows, including N194.7 million received on November 11, 2020, from New Horizons Limited, and N622.5 million received on June 24, 2022, from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
He further identified two separate inflows of N250 million each in July 2022 from Rayhaan Hotels Limited, as well as an additional N500 million received in December 2022 from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
Bata stated that the transactions formed part of a broader pattern of fund movements across the accounts under investigation.
Case Adjourned
Following the testimony, defence counsel requested time to review the documents and prepare for cross-examination.
Presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, granted the request and adjourned the case until May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.
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