The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday re-arraigned former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, alongside his wife, Asabe Bashir, and their son, Abdulaziz, on alleged money laundering charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The trio was re-arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik following the reassignment of the case to her court.
At the resumed hearing, EFCC counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, informed the court that the matter was appearing before the judge for the first time and requested that the pleas of the defendants be taken.
Okutepa also applied for corrections to the charges, seeking to amend the sums listed in Counts 11 and 12. He asked the court to adjust Count 11 from N325 billion to N325 million and Count 12 from N120 billion to N120 million. The defence counsel, Joseph Daudu, SAN, did not oppose the application, and the court granted the request.
After the amended charges were read, Malami, his wife, and their son pleaded not guilty to the 16-count charge bordering on money laundering.
The case has experienced multiple reassignments. Justice Obiora Egwuatu had earlier withdrawn from the matter on February 12 after it was transferred to him. Prior to that, the case was handled by Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over it as a vacation judge during the Christmas and New Year break.
Following the end of the vacation period, the Chief Judge reassigned the matter to Justice Egwuatu, who subsequently recused himself, leading to its transfer to Justice Abdulmalik.
The defendants were first arraigned on December 30, 2025, in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/700/2025. Malami and his son were initially remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre, while Asabe Bashir was remanded at the Suleja Correctional Centre.
They were later granted bail on January 7 in the sum of N500 million each, with two sureties in like amount. The trial is expected to continue under the new judge.
