The federal government has filed 16 alleged money laundering charges, to the tune of ₦1.014bn, against a former attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, before the federal high court in Abuja. Also listed as a co-defendant in the case is Hajia Bashir Asabe. According to the charge, the government is accusing Malami, his son, and others of being involved in the laundering and concealment of ₦1,014,848,500.00 allegedly traced to a commercial bank.
In the 16 charges, the Nigerian government alleged that between July 2022 and June 2025, within Abuja and the jurisdiction of the court, the defendants procured Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to conceal the unlawful origin of the money. The charge alleges, in part, that the defendants used the company as a front to conceal the origin and movement of the funds, an act the government says constitutes money laundering under Nigerian law. The alleged offence is said to be contrary to section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and punishable under section 18(3) of the same act. The 16 charges reveal how Malami allegedly engaged Metropolitan Auto Tech Limited to launder funds.
