A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government, Peak Newspaper reports.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established the reasonable suspicion required by law to justify the forfeiture of the assets.
The court ruled that Malami, members of his family and companies linked to the properties failed to disprove the commission’s claim that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit. She stressed that the central issue before the court was not ownership of the properties but the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire them, adding that the respondents failed to rebut the reasonable suspicion raised by the EFCC.
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the court granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture. However, it discharged the interim forfeiture order on some of the properties.
The anti-graft agency had, in January, sought the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, alleging they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former Attorney General. The assets are located in Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna States.
Following the interim forfeiture order granted by Justice Emeka Nwite, Malami, his wife Nana Hadiza Malami, his son Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, and several companies challenged the action, insisting the properties were lawfully acquired and arguing that the EFCC failed to establish any link between the assets and any criminal activity.
