N8.7bn Fraud Trial: Malami in fresh trouble as court admits nine exhibits 

The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and members of his family continued on Monday with the admission of key documentary evidence by a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja.

Presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, admitted nine exhibits tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as part of its prosecution of the former minister, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.

The defendants are standing trial on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy, concealment, and laundering of alleged illicit funds amounting to ₦8,713,923,759.49, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The exhibits, labelled D1 to D9, were presented through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.

While being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, the witness explained that the documents were obtained following official requests from the EFCC concerning bank accounts linked to the defendants and affiliated companies.

He named the companies to include Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.

Bata told the court that the bank provided comprehensive records—both electronic and physical—covering the accounts under investigation, and confirmed that he could identify each of the documents tendered.

Although defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents, citing concerns over their dates, the court overruled the objection and admitted them into evidence.

In his testimony, the witness gave insights into transactions contained in the exhibits, including account statements spanning over a decade.

He said one of the accounts linked to Malami recorded significant financial activity between 2012 and 2023, with hundreds of millions of naira credited and debited over the years.

Among the transactions highlighted were inflows of ₦194.7 million from New Horizons Limited in November 2020, ₦622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in June 2022, and multiple ₦250 million transfers from Rayhaan Hotels Limited in July 2022.

He also referenced a ₦500 million inflow in December 2022 tied to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, adding that the overall transactions traced in the exhibits ran into billions of naira.

Following the proceedings, defence counsel sought an adjournment to enable adequate review of the admitted documents ahead of cross-examination.

Granting the request, Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until May 13, 2026, for continuation of hearing.