Photo caption: Malami, son and wife
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Friday, granted bail to a former Attorney General of the Federation cum Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, his wife, Asabe Bashir, and their son, Abdulaziz Malami.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik granted the defendants bail in the sum of ₦200 million each with two sureties in like sum.
As part of the bail conditions, the court ordered that one of the sureties must deposit title deeds of properties located in either Maitama or Asokoro, both highbrow districts of Abuja.
The court also directed the defendants to deposit their international passports with the court.
They, however, are to remain in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on February 27, ruled that Malami’s earlier bail no longer stands following the reassignment of his case.
The court held that since the matter had commenced afresh before it, all previous proceedings including the bail granted by Justice Emeka Nwite were deemed terminated, thereby requiring a fresh bail application.
The EFCC had filed a 16-count charge against the former AGF, over alleged money laundering and unlawful acquisition of assets running into over N8.7 billion.
Malami, his son, Abdulaziz, and his wife, Asabe, each pleaded not guilty to the amended charges.
Following their plea, the prosecution urged the court to fix a date for trial.
The defence, led by J.B. Daudu (SAN), however, asked the court to sustain the earlier bail conditions granted by Justice Nwite, arguing that the Federal High Court is one court and that the defendants had already been admitted to bail.
However, the prosecution argued that the new court had the discretion to either adopt the earlier conditions or impose fresh ones.
The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, held that where a case begins afresh due to reassignment, earlier proceedings are extinguished in law.
Consequently, the defendants were rearraigned before Justice Abdulmalik.
