Court Grants Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties Linked to Malami

The federal high court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to Abubakar Malami, former attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

In a ruling on Wednesday, Joyce Abdulmalik, the trial judge, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was able to prove that the properties were proceeds of suspected unlawful activities.

Abdulmalik held that the former AGF failed to prove that the properties were acquired through lawful sources.

Prior to the ruling, the judge dismissed several applications and motions on notice filed by Malami, family members, and some companies linked to the properties.

The judge ruled that the issue before the court is not about ownership of the properties in question but on “how legitimate are the funds used to require the properties”.

Abdulmalik said the respondents have not been able to disprove the reasonable suspicion that the properties were acquired illegitimately.

She dismissed the interim forfeiture order issued in respect to nine other properties sought to be forfeited by the anti-graft agency.

The judge ruled that the EFCC was unable to prove that the nine properties located in Kebbi and Kaduna state were obtained through unlawful activities.

BACKGROUND

In January, the court ordered the interim forfeiture of 57 properties suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities allegedly linked to Malami and two of his sons, Abdulaziz Malami and Abiru Rahman Malami.

According to the EFCC, the properties are valued at N213,234,120,000.

Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, held that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and should be temporarily forfeited to the federal government.

The forfeited properties — hotels, residential buildings, lands, schools, and a printing press — are scattered across Kebbi, Kano and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

Following the interim forfeiture order, Malami accused the EFCC of inflating the value of his assets to mislead the court.

The former AGF said the anti-graft agency relied on “manifest exaggeration” and “malicious inflation” of property values.

The anti-graft agency is prosecuting Malami, his son, and wife on a 16-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N8,713, 923, 759.49.