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A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, David Ajoma on Friday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja that a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, AGF, Abubakar Malami never participated in any of the transactions carried out by Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank.
He said that no payments came into the bank accounts of the two Companies from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, National Human Rghts Commission or any agency presided over by Malami as the AGF during the period.
The witness, a Compliance Officer with Sterling Bank had tendered a 214- page bank transaction documents involving inflows and outflows carried out by the two companies through their bank accounts with Sterling Bank.
The bank transaction document was admitted as exhibit “A Series” by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik who is presiding over the trial of Malami, his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami and and wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe in a 16-count money laundering charges involving N8. 7bn.
Ajoma who is the first witness to EFCC in the trial, narrated how series of payments involving millions of naira were made into the bank account of Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank by corporate bodies and individuals at different times.
He read out names and identities of those who made the payments while being led in evidence by counsel to EFCC, Mr Jibrin Okutepa SAN.
While reading through the bank statements of the Rayhan Hotels and Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank and the opening packages, the witness said Malami’s name was not in the account opening packages and also not as signatories to them.
He made the clarifications during cross examination by lead lawyer to the three defendants, Joseph Daudu SAN.
Apart from not being a relationship manager or officer to the bank accounts, Ajoma told the judge that Malami’s name and that of his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe never featured in any of the transactions.
He named Malami’s son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami as the sole signatory to the account of Rayhan Hotels and operated it till date and one Aliyu Mohammed as signatory to Metropolitan Autotech Limited with Sterling Bank.
While quoting from the exhibit, Ajoma revealed that the application for N500m loan facility was made to Sterling Bank by Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami in his capacity as the Managing Director of the Rayhan Hotels
The witness informed the court that he did not know the purposes of several payments made into Rayhan Hotels bank account by those who made them
Ajoma who claimed to had earlier worked with Access Bank said that Sterling Bank did not make report of suspicious transactions to either EFCC or Nigeria Finance Intelligence Unit (NFIU) because none of the transactions breached the rules of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Meanwhile, Justice Abdulmalik has fixed March 16 for a Union Bank official to testify in the trial.
The EFCC had filed a 16-count money laundering charge against Malami, his son and his wife.
Malami, his son Abdulaziz Malami, and an employee of Rahamaniyya Properties Limited, Hajia Asabe Bashir were accused of conspiracy and concealment of proceeds of unlawful activities running into billions of naira.
They were said to have committed the various alleged offences between November 2015 and June 2025.
The commission in the charge filed by Mr Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, alleged that the funds allegedly acquired unlawfully were used for the purchase of luxury properties in Abuja, Kebbi, Kano, and other locations.
In count one, Malami and his son were said to have between July 2022 and June 2025, “procured METROPOLITAN AUTO TECH LIMITED to conceal the unlawful origin of the total sum of N1, 014, 848, 500.00 in the Sterling Bank Plc Account No. 0079182387,” when they reasonably ought to have known that the said sum formed proceeds of unlawful activities and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 21(c) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 and punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act”.
Malami and his son were in count two alleged to have procured the same METROPOLITAN AUTO TECH LIMITED to conceal the unlawful origin of another sum of over N600 million.
In another count, they were alleged to have in November 2022, used Rahamaniyya Properties Limited to conceal N500 million paid for a luxury duplex at Amazon Street, Maitama, Abuja.
While in count five the trio were alleged to have sometime in September 2024, conspired to disguise the unlawful origin of the aggregate sum of N1, 049, 173, 926. 13 paid through the Union Bank Plc account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd Jabi savings Account No. 0179011105 between November 2022 and September 2024, they were in count six accused of indirectly taking control of the aggregate sum of N1, 362, 887, 872.96, paid through the savings account of Meethaq Hotels Ltd in Union Bank Plc when they “reasonably ought to have known that the said funds formed proceeds of unlawful activity and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 18(2) (d) and punishable under section 18(3) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, Malami, his son and Hajia Bashir were also charged with concealing the sum of N700 million paid for a property at No. 3 Onitsha Crescent, Garki, Abuja, and N850 million for another property at Plot 683, Jabi District, Abuja.
Similarly, the three defendants were said to have in February 2018, acquired No. 3 Rhine Street, Maitama, Abuja, for N430 million and in the same month concealed N210 million for No. 3130, Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro, Abuja.
They were also charged with concealing N325 million for No. 1241B, Asokoro District, between March and June 2021, and N120 million for No. 27 Efab Estate, Gwarimpa, Abuja, between November 2015 and January 2016.
The three defendants however pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Ex AGF Malami not linked to Rayhan Hotel, Metropolitan Autotech Bank – EFCC witness
