Court Orders Final Forfeiture of 48 Properties Linked to 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 ruled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established that the properties were reasonably suspected to have been acquired through unlawful activities, while Malami, his family members and companies linked to the assets failed to disprove the allegations.

The court dismissed several applications filed by the respondents, describing them as lacking merit, and held that the case was centred on the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire the properties rather than ownership.

The judge granted the EFCC’s application for permanent forfeiture under the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act but discharged the interim forfeiture order on some properties after finding insufficient grounds to sustain it.

The EFCC had sought the forfeiture of 57 properties valued at about ₦212.8 billion, alleging they were proceeds of unlawful activities. The affected properties are located across Abuja, Kano, Kebbi and Kaduna states.

The respondents had argued that the assets were lawfully acquired and that the EFCC failed to establish any connection between the properties and alleged criminal activities.

However, the commission maintained that its investigations showed the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and that civil forfeiture proceedings require proof of reasonable suspicion rather than proof beyond reasonable doubt.

The judgment marks a significant victory for the EFCC in one of its most closely watched civil forfeiture cases.