Court orders final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to ex-AGF Malami

The 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.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik delivered the judgment on Wednesday, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established the reasonable suspicion required by law to justify the forfeiture of the assets.

Before delivering the ruling, the judge dismissed several applications, motions on notice and applications to show cause filed by Malami, his family members and companies linked to the properties, describing them as lacking merit.

The court ruled that the respondents failed to disprove the EFCC’s allegation that the properties were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.

Justice Abdulmalik further stated that the case before the court was not about who owned the properties but whether the funds used to acquire them were legitimate.

“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the property. The respondents have not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities,” the judge said.

She added that the respondents had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”