The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has re-arraigned the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN), his wife, Asabe Bashir, and son, Abdulaziz, on money laundering offences.
They were re-arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, following the reassignment of the case to the new trial judge.
Upon the resumed hearing, the EFCC’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the defendants’ re-arraignment.
“The matter is coming before your lordship this morning for the very first time. I will be applying for the plea of the defendants to be taken,” he said.
Okutepa equally applied that the sums listed in Counts 11 and 12 be corrected to read ‘₦325 million’ instead of ‘₦325 billion’ for Count 11 and ‘₦120 million’ instead of ‘₦120 billion’ for Count 12.
When it was not opposed by the defence lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), Justice Abdulmalik granted the oral application by Okutepa.
READ ALSO: Judge Withdraws From EFCC Cases Against Malami
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the 16 counts preferred against them by the anti-graft agency bordering on money laundering.
Justice Obiora Egwuatu had, on February 12, withdrawn from the case shortly after the civil case filed by the EFCC was brought to him.
The case was formerly before Justice Emeka Nwite, who sat as a vacation judge during the Christmas/New Year break.
After the vacation period, the CJ reassigned the cases to Justice Egwuatu, who had now recused himself, before it was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik.
The former AGF, his wife, and son were earlier arraigned before Justice Nwite on December 30, 2025.
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