The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and members of his family took a significant turn on Monday as a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja admitted nine documentary exhibits presented by the prosecution.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), allowing the documents to be tendered as evidence in the ongoing trial involving Malami, his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
The defendants are facing an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy and alleged laundering of ₦8,713,923,759.49, said to be proceeds of unlawful activities, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The exhibits, marked D1 to D9, were introduced through the fourth prosecution witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.
Testifying under the guidance of prosecution counsel, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, the witness told the court that the documents were obtained following requests from the EFCC for records of bank accounts associated with the defendants and several companies.
The companies listed include Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.
Bata explained that the bank furnished both electronic and hard copies of the requested documents and affirmed his ability to identify all the exhibits submitted before the court.
An objection raised by defence counsel, J.B. Daudu, SAN, over the dates on the documents was overruled, with the court admitting the evidence.
During further testimony, the witness provided details of financial transactions captured in the documents, including account statements spanning more than a decade.
He revealed that one of the accounts linked to Malami recorded substantial inflows and outflows between 2012 and 2023, with transactions running into hundreds of millions of naira.
Specific entries cited included a credit of ₦194.7 million from New Horizons Limited in November 2020, ₦622.5 million from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited in June 2022, and two separate transfers of ₦250 million each from Rayhaan Hotels Limited in July 2022.
Another ₦500 million inflow, traced to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, was recorded in December 2022.
According to the witness, the total volume of transactions contained in the exhibits runs into billions of naira.
Following the session, defence counsel requested time to examine the admitted documents and prepare for cross-examination.
The request was granted, with Justice Abdulmalik adjourning the case until May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.
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