By Ayo Ayodele
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation has taken over the prosecution of former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, following the withdrawal of the Department of State Services from the case.
Malami, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2015 to 2023, is facing a five-count charge bordering on alleged terrorism financing and unlawful possession of firearms. He was arraigned alongside his son, Abdulaziz.
At the resumed hearing before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), informed the court that the case file had been transmitted to the AGF’s office. He said the Attorney-General, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), would review the file and determine the next course of action.
Prosecution counsel applied for an adjournment to enable the AGF’s office to study the case. Defence counsel did not oppose the request but indicated that he would seek to have the charges struck out if the trial fails to commence at the next sitting.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until March 10.
Malami and his son were first arraigned on February 3. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and were granted bail of N200 million each with two sureties in like sum.
However, both remain in custody due to a separate money laundering case instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.