Nigeria’s former justice minister granted bail

A Nigerian court has granted bail to the country’s former attorney general, Abubakar Malami, along with his wife and son, who are facing money laundering charges.

Malami, 58, was one of the most influential figures in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari between 2015 and 2023.

He was charged last month with 16 counts of money laundering and abuse of office worth a total of 8.7bn naira ($6m; £4.5m), and has been held in prison since 30 December.

In court, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. He previously described his arrest as politically motivated.

The lawyer, who is married to Buhari‘s third child, Nana Hadiza, recently left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the opposition African Democratic Congress, which is viewed as the biggest rival to the APC in the 2027 general elections.

Malami is one of several ministers in the Buhari administration accused of corruption, including another influential figure, Hadi Sirika, who was in charge of the country’s aviation ministry.

In court on Wednesday, presiding judge Emeka Nwite stated that the charges against the defendants were bailable offences.

He said they could be released on bail set at 500 million naira (£260,000; $350,000) each.

They must also provide two guarantors who own property in designated parts of the capital, Abuja, and surrender their travel documents to the court.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleges that the former minister used his office to divert government funds, which were then used to acquire properties in several Nigerian cities, including Abuja.

The EFCC recently released a list of high-value properties allegedly linked to Malami, including hotels, residential buildings, schools, factories, parcels of land and a printing press.

The properties are spread across the capital, Abuja, as well as Kebbi and Kano states.

The scale of the properties he allegedly owned sparked a national debate about the wealth of Nigeria’s politicians when the list was released.

Political analyst Idris Adamu told the BBC the case had taken him by surprise given the minister’s previous perceived invulnerability.

“Seeing the video of Malami being ushered into the vehicle that would take him to Kuje prison last month felt surreal,” Adamu said. “This was a man that wielded so much power and influence under Buhari.”

He added that the high-profile prosecution signalled that “no-one is above the law, even if you are the former justice minister of a country”.

The case has been adjourned until 17 February 2025.