A court battle over assets linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has ended with the Federal High Court in Abuja ordering the permanent forfeiture of 48 properties to the Federal Government.
The properties, located in Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states, were earlier placed under an interim forfeiture order in January, prompting Malami, his family members and affected companies to challenge the action.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the EFCC’s application, ruling that Malami and other claimants failed to prove that the properties were acquired through lawful means.
The judge dismissed objections filed by the former minister, his family members and companies linked to the assets, describing them as lacking merit.
Justice Abdulmalik held that the matter before the court was not “who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties”.
She added that the respondents had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities”.
The EFCC had initially sought the forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about N212.8 billion, alleging they were acquired through proceeds of unlawful activities.
The court’s decision is a civil forfeiture order and does not amount to a criminal conviction, as Mr Malami, his wife and son are still facing separate N8.7 billion money laundering charges.
