A prosecution witness for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the bank account linked to Rayhan Hotels was operated by the son of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
The witness, David Ajoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, testified that Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami was the sole signatory to the Rayhan Hotels account, while Aliyu Mohammed served as signatory to the account of Metropolitan Autotech Limited.
Ajoma, who appeared as the first prosecution witness in the ongoing N8.7 billion money laundering trial, told the court that the former AGF was neither a signatory nor directly involved in transactions carried out through the companies’ accounts.
He added that Malami’s name did not appear in the account opening documents of the two companies and that neither the former minister nor his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, featured in the transactions recorded in the accounts.
Testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the witness presented a 214-page bank statement showing inflows and outflows from the accounts. The documents were admitted by the court as Exhibit A Series.
Ajoma told the court that the bank records reflected several payments running into millions of naira from individuals and corporate entities at different times.
He also revealed that Abdulaziz had applied for a N500 million loan facility from Sterling Bank in his capacity as Managing Director of Rayhan Hotels.
According to the witness, none of the funds paid into the accounts originated from the Federal Ministry of Justice, the EFCC, the National Human Rights Commission or any agency under Malami’s supervision during his tenure as Attorney-General.
He further stated that the bank did not flag any suspicious transactions to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, noting that none of the transactions breached the regulations of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The testimony was given during cross-examination by defence counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN).
Malami, his son Abdulaziz and his wife are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering involving N8.7 billion, said to have occurred between November 2015 and June 2025.
The EFCC alleged that the defendants conspired to conceal proceeds of unlawful activities and used the funds to acquire properties in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and other locations. However, the defendants have pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until March 16 for another prosecution witness from Union Bank of Nigeria to testify.
