A Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, presided over by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, on Monday, April 20, 2026, admitted nine exhibits against former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, SAN, his wife Bashir Asabe, and his son Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
The exhibits were presented by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its ongoing trial of Malami and his family members.
The EFCC is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge of conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing, and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities totaling N8,713,923,759.49, contrary to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The documentary exhibits were tendered through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc.
Under examination by prosecution counsel J.S. Okutepa, SAN, Bata testified that he received EFCC correspondence requesting documents on accounts linked to the defendants and associated entities.
“I work as a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, Maitama branch. My duty includes receiving correspondence from law enforcement agencies and responding accordingly,” he said.
Bata confirmed that the bank provided both soft and hard copies of documents related to accounts of the defendants and companies including Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.
“My lord, the documents are nine,” he stated, confirming his ability to identify them in court.
Despite an initial objection by defence counsel J.B. Daudu, SAN, over the dates on the documents, Justice Abdulmalik admitted them as Exhibits D1 to D9. The documents span from July 19, 2024, to March 12, 2026.
Bata provided details of transactions in the exhibits. He said Exhibit D1 contained account opening documents and statements for accounts belonging to Abubakar Malami and A.A. Malami & Co, including a naira account and a dollar account.
The statements covered periods from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2023, showing that the accounts were active between 2015 and 2023 with transfers occurring throughout. Total credits from 2016 to 2023 amounted to N383,637,21.55, and from 2012 to 2015, N560,506,465.12. Total debits were N384,322,120.85 and N571,891,174.08, respectively.
Bata detailed major inflows, including N194,791,608 from New Horizons Limited on November 11, 2020, N622,500,000 from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited on June 24, 2022, and multiple transfers of N250 million and N500 million from associated companies in 2022. Numerous other transactions totaling billions were also highlighted.
Following the testimony, defence counsel Daudu requested an adjournment to review the exhibits and prepare for cross-examination.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to May 13, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
