Proceedings continued on Monday at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, in the trial involving former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and their son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, as the court admitted nine critical documentary exhibits tendered by the prosecution.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik admitted the exhibits following submissions by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is prosecuting the defendants on an amended 16-count charge bordering on alleged conspiracy, money laundering, concealment, and conversion of proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly totalling N8.7 billion, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The documents were presented through the EFCC’s fourth prosecution witness, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, who testified that the bank responded to official investigative requests by providing account opening records and detailed financial statements linked to the defendants and several companies under scrutiny.
Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, J.S. Okutepa (SAN), the witness explained that his responsibilities include handling regulatory and law enforcement inquiries. He confirmed that the documents submitted in court were drawn from accounts connected to Malami, his law firm A.A. Malami & Co, and multiple corporate entities, including Rayhaan Hotels Limited and Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
“My lord, the documents are nine in number,” the witness said, identifying them as requested by the prosecution.
Although defence counsel, J.B. Daudu (SAN), raised objections concerning aspects of the documentation, the court overruled the objection and admitted the materials as Exhibits D1 to D9.
Further testimony led by EFCC counsel Ekele Iheanacho (SAN) detailed financial movements captured in the exhibits. The witness explained that one of the accounts reviewed covered transactions spanning more than a decade, from 2012 to 2023, showing both inflows and outflows running into hundreds of millions of naira.
He highlighted several large transfers recorded in the account, including N194.7 million from New Horizons Limited in 2020, N622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in 2022, and multiple transfers of N250 million each from Rayhaan Hotels Limited within the same year. Another inflow of N500 million was also recorded later in 2022.
The witness further told the court that the account remained active between 2015 and 2023, with continuous transactions reflecting significant financial activity over the years.
Following the presentation of evidence, defence counsel J.B. Daudu (SAN) requested an adjournment to enable the defence team to study the newly admitted exhibits in preparation for cross-examination.
“My lord, we need time to carefully go through the nine exhibits tendered,” he told the court.
The matter was subsequently adjourned for continuation of hearing.
Court Admits Key Evidence in N8.7bn Money Laundering Trial Against Malami, Family
