A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of more than 40 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, after ruling that those claiming ownership failed to establish that the assets were acquired with legitimate funds.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that Malami, members of his family and other claimants failed to rebut the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) allegation that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful activities.
The court ruled that the claimants did not provide sufficient evidence to displace the presumption raised by the anti-graft agency.
Justice Abdulmalik stressed that the central issue before the court was not the ownership of the properties but whether the funds used to acquire them were lawfully obtained.
“The issue before the court is not about who owns the properties but whether the funds used in acquiring them were legitimately earned,” the judge held.
The ruling followed an interim forfeiture order granted earlier this year over 57 properties, after the EFCC approached the court, alleging that the assets were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to Malami and others.
After considering objections filed by the former minister, his relatives and other interested parties, the court found that the explanations offered were insufficient to overturn the EFCC’s case regarding a significant number of the assets.
Consequently, Justice Abdulmalik ordered the permanent forfeiture of more than 40 of the properties to the Federal Government.
However, the court set aside the earlier interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the 57 properties, effectively excluding them from the final forfeiture.
The judgment marks a major victory for the EFCC in its asset recovery efforts and represents one of the most significant forfeiture rulings involving a former Attorney General of the Federation.
