A compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the bank filed Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) over transactions linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, disclosed while testifying as the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Maitama.The
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Malami alongside his wife, Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, concealment and laundering of alleged proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to N8.7 billion.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Adebayo Adedeji (SAN), the witness confirmed that the deposits reflected in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“But we had to file a Suspicious Transaction Report. We did file,” Bata told the court.
Under re-examination, prosecution counsel, J.S. Okutepa (SAN), asked the witness to explain the meaning of an STR. The defence objected, arguing that there was no ambiguity in the earlier testimony.
Okutepa, however, maintained that Section 215(3) of the Evidence Act allowed re-examination for clarification, urging the court to permit the question.
Justice Abdulmalik overruled the objection and allowed the witness to respond.
Explaining the process, Bata said any repeated or patterned deposit of funds must be escalated to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit for further scrutiny.
“Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU,” he said.
The witness also informed the court that his duties as a compliance officer included receiving correspondence from law enforcement agencies. He added that he was neither the account officer nor the relationship manager handling the defendants’ accounts under investigation.
Following the conclusion of his testimony, the witness was discharged.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until May 22, 2026, for continuation of the trial.
