A former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has spent his third night in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Naijaonpoint reports that the senior lawyer has failed to meet the bail conditions imposed by the anti-corruption agency.
Malami, who is also being investigated over allegations relating to money laundering, with a focus on the operation of suspicious accounts, has been detained since Monday.
Speaking to Leadership, an EFCC source said, “He has been in detention since Monday, and the investigation is ongoing.”
Another source stated that Malami was still being held at the EFCC headquarters because he had not been able to meet his bail conditions.
According to the source, “The former minister is still with us. We are still investigating him for about 18 offences. You know that he was granted bail but didn’t meet the conditions. He is being investigated for money laundering, terrorism financing and abuse of office, among many others.”
The source added that the commission had several other allegations against Malami, which will come up later, noting that “We have detained the Ex-minister for terrorism financing and the whereabouts of Abacha loot recovered from Switzerland and the Island of Jersey in the UK.
“His sudden wealth of N10 billion investments in Kebbi State is under investigation. We may attach some of these assets.
“We are likely to interrogate one of his wives on her role in the N4 billion Anchor Borrowers cash advanced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“He has a lot to clarify, but he has not been able to meet bail conditions. He might be with us until he fulfils these.”
However, Malami has vehemently denied recent allegations that he is being investigated by the EFCC for terrorism financing and operating 46 bank accounts.
In a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Mohammed Doka, Malami described the allegations, which were recently published by an online medium, as false.
Malami asserted that he has not been investigated by any security agency, whether locally or internationally, for the allegation of terrorism financing or any other related offense.
Doka said, “The Office of the former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, wishes to categorically refute recent allegations circulating in parts of the media regarding terrorism financing, the existence of purported 46 bank accounts linked to Malami, and other unfounded insinuations, all of which are false, misleading and baseless.
“We state without equivocation that there is no allegation, investigation or charge of terrorism financing against Abubakar Malami, SAN, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or by any other security, intelligence or law-enforcement agency, whether in Nigeria or abroad.
Similarly, claims suggesting that Mr Malami operates or controls “46 bank accounts” are entirely fictitious, unsupported by facts, official records or lawful findings, and merely form part of a coordinated media trial aimed at character assassination.
“At no time has Mr Malami been questioned, investigated or confronted with issues relating to terrorism financing or any alleged multiple bank accounts. Even the retired military officer cited in recent reports explicitly clarified that he never accused Mr Malami of financing terrorism, a crucial clarification that was irresponsibly overshadowed by sensational headlines and mischievous framing.
“Mr Malami’s public service record directly contradicts such insinuations. During his tenure as Attorney-General, he played a leading role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CFT) framework, including the establishment of an independent Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).”
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