Malami tells court he earned over N12bn
…seeks lifting of interim seizure order on 57 properties
Former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he earned hundreds of millions of naira from salaries and gifts, and over ₦10 billion from private business ventures, as he seeks to vacate an interim order authorising the seizure of 57 properties allegedly linked to him.
Malami made the disclosure through his lawyer, Joseph Daudu (SAN), in a motion on notice filed before the court, challenging an interim forfeiture order obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The order directed the temporary seizure of the properties pending the determination of the substantive case.
According to court documents, Malami is asking the court to set aside the interim order as it affects three of the 57 properties, arguing that his sources of income were lawful and properly declared.
Daudu informed the court that Malami had fully disclosed his earnings in his asset declaration submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). The declared income includes ₦374,630,900 earned from salaries, estacodes, severance allowances and related entitlements.
The former AGF also declared ₦574,073,000 as income generated from disposed assets, while his private businesses recorded a turnover of ₦10,017,382,684. In addition, Malami listed ₦2.522 billion given out as loans to businesses.
He further disclosed receiving ₦958 million as traditional gifts from personal friends, as well as ₦509,880,000 realised from the launch and public presentation of his book titled “Contemporary Issues on Nigerian Law and Practice, Thorny Terrains in Traversing the Nigerian Justice Sector: My Travails and Triumphs.”
Malami’s legal team argued that the EFCC’s action was unjustified, insisting that the funds used to acquire the properties were from legitimate and traceable sources.
The Federal High Court is expected to fix a date to hear the motion seeking to vacate the interim forfeiture order.
