A Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, on Monday admitted nine documentary exhibits in the ongoing trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, alongside members of his family.
The trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, admitted the exhibits following an application by the prosecution led by J. S. Okutepa, SAN, despite initial objections from defence counsel, J. B. Daudu, SAN.
The defendants, including Malami’s wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, money laundering, and concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to N8,713,923,759.49.
During proceedings, the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, testified that he received and responded to EFCC requests for financial records linked to the defendants.
Bata told the court that the bank provided both hard and soft copies of documents relating to accounts associated with the defendants and several companies, including Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.
He confirmed that the nine documents, dated between July 19, 2024, and March 12, 2026, were tendered and admitted as Exhibits D1 to D9.
Under further examination by prosecution counsel Ekele Iheanacho, SAN, the witness detailed transactions contained in the exhibits. He identified one of the exhibits as comprising account opening documents and statements linked to Malami and A.A. Malami & Co, covering both naira and dollar accounts.
According to the witness, the accounts recorded significant activity between 2012 and 2023, with transactions running into hundreds of millions and billions of naira. He cited specific inflows, including N194.7 million from New Horizons Limited in November 2020, N622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in June 2022, and multiple N250 million transfers from Rayhaan Hotels Limited in July 2022.
Further inflows included N500 million linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in December 2022, among several other transactions highlighted during testimony.
