The Federal Government of Nigeria has filed fresh money laundering charges against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, over alleged financial transactions totaling over N1 billion.

The 16-count charge, instituted at the Federal High Court, Abuja, and marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025, lists the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the complainant. Hajia Bashir Asabe is also named as a co-defendant.

Court documents allege that the defendants handled, transferred, and concealed funds suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities. Investigators reportedly traced a total of N1,014,848,500 to a Sterling Bank account linked to the transactions.

The prosecution further claims that the funds were laundered through corporate entities, including Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited, which was allegedly used as a front to obscure the source and movement of the money.

According to the charge sheet, between 2015 and 2025, several properties in Abuja, Kano, and Kebbi states were acquired with illicit funds. The properties reportedly include luxury homes in highbrow areas such as Maitama, Asokoro, Gwarimpa, and Jabi, some of which were purchased while Malami was in office.

One of the counts alleges that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of over N1.014 billion, an act said to contravene the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charge sheet also details the alleged use of bank accounts, hotel businesses, and real estate firms to move, retain, or disguise large sums of money, including payments for hotels, plazas, duplexes, and landed properties. Prosecutors argued that the defendants “reasonably ought to have known” that the funds were derived from illegal sources.

Malami, who served as Nigeria’s Attorney-General from 2015 to 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has faced multiple corruption allegations during his tenure, which he has consistently denied.

Meanwhile, in a related matter, the Federal High Court, Abuja, had earlier granted him interim bail in a separate case involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), directing him to surrender his passport and meet existing bail conditions, including providing two sureties.

The case has been adjourned to January 5, 2026, for further hearing.