The immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, along with his son, Abdulaziz, and wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, on Wednesday, secured a combined bail of N1.5 billion from the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Trial Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the ruling, set Malami’s bail at N1 billion, while his wife was granted N500 million.
The court also ordered that each defendant present two sureties of equivalent sums.
The sureties must own landed property in Asokoro, Maitama, or Gwarinpa districts of the Federal Capital Territory and provide title documents for verification.
In addition, the court directed the defendants to surrender their international passports, while the sureties were required to submit recent passport photographs and swear an affidavit of means.
The judge warned that none of the defendants should leave the country without prior court approval.
They are to remain in custody until all bail conditions are fully met. The case was adjourned to February 17 for trial.
Malami, who served as Minister of Justice from November 2015 to May 2023 under President Muhammadu Buhari, faces 16 counts of money laundering.
His wife, Asabe, was listed as an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, a firm allegedly used to launder illicit funds through property transactions.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleged that the trio laundered about N9 billion, acquiring properties across Abuja, Kebbi, and Kano to conceal the proceeds.
Investigators said that between July 2022 and June 2025, the defendants used Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to hide over N1.01 billion in a Sterling Bank account, and between September 2020 and February 2021, diverted about N600 million.
EFCC further claimed that N600 million was held in March 2021 as collateral for a N500 million loan taken by Rayhaan Hotels Ltd from Sterling Bank, despite knowledge that the funds were proceeds of crime.
The defendants are accused of breaching several provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.