The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of at least 48 properties linked to the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, granted the forfeiture application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, ruling that Malami and other individuals claiming ownership of the assets failed to prove they were acquired through lawful means.
Before delivering her substantive judgment, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications, motions on notice, and objections filed by Malami, his family members, and various corporate entities. The judge ruled that the objections lacked merit, emphasizing that the core issue before the court was not the identity of the owners, but rather the legitimacy of the funds used to purchase the assets. She stated that the respondents failed to clear the reasonable suspicion that the real estate was acquired through unlawful activities.
In granting the permanent forfeiture order, the judge relied primarily on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, while also vacating the interim forfeiture order for a few of the initially listed properties.
Initially, the anti-graft agency had presented 57 properties linked to Malami for final forfeiture. The court's decision for final civil forfeiture does not constitute a criminal conviction or a finding of guilt against anyone, though Malami, his wife, and his son are currently facing separate charges involving the suspicious acquisition of funds.
The EFCC initiated the civil forfeiture proceedings in January, seeking the permanent forfeiture of the 57 properties, valued at 212.8 billion Naira, which it alleged were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former minister.
On January 16, during the Federal High Court's annual vacation, Justice Emeka Nwite had granted an interim forfeiture order on the assets. He directed the EFCC to publish the order in a national newspaper to allow any interested parties to appear and show cause why the assets should not be permanently surrendered to the federal government. Following that publication, Malami, his wife Nana Hadiza Malami, his son Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, and several associated companies filed the objections that have now been dismissed by the court.
