Breaking: Court Orders Forfeiture of 40 Properties Linked to Top Buhari's Ex-Minister
- A Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the final forfeiture of about 48 properties linked to former Attorney General Abubakar Malami on Wednesday
- Justice Joyce Abdulmalik dismissed all objections filed by Malami, his family members, and associated companies, ruling they all lacked merit
- The EFCC's forfeiture application covered 57 properties in total, though the court vacated interim orders on some of them
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the immediate and final forfeiture of about 48 properties linked to Abubakar Malami, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Judge Joyce Abdulmalik of the trial court gave the order while delivering judgment on the application filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, July 15. The court held that the former minister and others who were laying claims to the properties could not prove that they acquired them lawfully.
Source: Twitter
Why the court ordered Malami to forfeit properties
Before delivering her substantive ruling, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed a series of preliminary applications, motions on notice, and formal objections filed by Malami, members of his family, and certain companies asserting ownership claims over the disputed assets. She held that none of the filings had merit.
The judge drew a sharp distinction in her reasoning, stating that the central question before the court was "not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the properties." She further held that the respondents had "not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities."
Her ruling rested principally on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, under which the EFCC had sought the final forfeiture orders.
How the EFCC drags Malami to court
The anti-graft agency had placed 57 properties before the court for final forfeiture. While Justice Abdulmalik approved the permanent seizure of about 48 of those assets, she vacated the interim forfeiture orders concerning a portion of the properties initially flagged.
The court was clear that the forfeiture ruling does not constitute a criminal conviction, nor does it amount to a finding of guilt against any of the parties. Malami, alongside his wife and son, continues to face separate criminal charges, some of which relate to allegations of acquiring funds from suspicious or illegitimate sources.
Earlier in January, the EFCC had initiated the civil forfeiture proceedings, asking the court for a permanent forfeiture of the 57 properties worth N212.8 billion. The agency alleged that the properties were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former minister.
Source: Twitter
Malami asks EFCC chairman to recuse himself
Legit.ng earlier reported that former President Muhammadu Buhari's minister of justice and AGF, Abubakar Malami, has called on the current chairman of the EFCC to recuse himself from his investigation.
Malami gave the reason for demanding that the EFCC chairman step aside in his matter and called on the AGF and Minister of Justice to take action.
The former minister also claimed that he was being witch-hunted by the EFCC over his defection from the ruling APC to the ADC.
Source: Legit.ng
