Lagos – Nigeria’s former attorney general Abubakar Malami was granted bail early Wednesday pending his trial over money laundering allegations, the country’s anti-corruption agency said.
The Federal High Court in Abuja granted the three 1.5-billion-naira bail, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement.
The court was under heavy security ahead of Malami’s court appearance, an AFP reporter saw.
Malami pleaded not guilty to the allegations when he appeared in court in the capital on December 30 along with his wife and son.
The three are accused of “conspiracy, procuring, disguising, concealing and laundering proceeds of unlawful activities”.
They must hand over their passports as part of the bail conditions and are to remain in prison until the bail is settled, the EFCC said.
The case is adjourned until February 17.
Though Buhari personally maintained a reputation for austerity, government corruption remained entrenched under his administration.
Malami is the latest top official of the Buhari administration to face trial for fraud.
Former central bank governor Godwin Emefiele and former labour minister Chris Ngige are in court over similar allegations.
Nigeria ranked 35th from the bottom on the World Bank’s 2023 list of countries measured by their control of corruption.
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Source: AFP
