A federal high court in Abuja has admitted nine documents tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the trial of Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice.
Malami is standing trial alongside his wife, Asabe Bashir, and his son, Abdulaziz, over alleged money laundering.
The EFCC is prosecuting them on an amended 16-count charge bordering on conspiracy and laundering of N8.7 billion, said to be proceeds of unlawful activities, under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The court admitted the documents on Monday after they were presented by Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank, who testified as the fourth prosecution witness.
Bata told the court that the bank received requests from the EFCC for records linked to accounts associated with the defendants and some companies.
He said the bank responded by providing both electronic and hard copies of account documents tied to entities, including Rayhaan Hotels Limited, Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited, Nashab Limited, Golden Age Global Ventures, and Rahamaniyya Properties Limited.
According to him, the documents dated between July 2024 and March 2026 were identifiable and formed part of the bank’s official records.
Jibrin Okutepa, counsel to the EFCC, applied to tender the documents, which the court admitted as exhibits despite an objection from Joseph Daudu, counsel to the defendants.
Under further examination, Bata outlined transactions linked to accounts belonging to Malami and his law firm, A.A. Malami & Co.
He said one of the accounts recorded total credits of N383,637,211.55 between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2023, while N560,506,465.12 was credited into the account between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015.
On debits, the witness said N384,322,120.85 was withdrawn between 2016 and 2023, while N571,891,174.08 was debited between 2012 and 2015.
Bata also identified specific inflows, including N194,791,608 received on November 11, 2020, from New Horizons Limited.
He said the account further received N622,500,000 on June 24, 2022, from Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
According to him, two separate inflows of N250 million each were recorded on July 1 and July 7, 2022, from Rayhaan Hotels Limited.
He added that another N500 million was received on December 22, 2022, also linked to Rayhaan Bustan Agro Allied Limited.
The witness said the transactions formed part of a broader pattern of movements across the accounts under review.
Following the testimony, Daudu asked the court for time to study the documents and prepare for cross-examination.
Joyce Abdulmalik, the presiding judge, adjourned the case to May 13, 2026, for continuation of trial.
