The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the final forfeiture of 48 properties linked to former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Judge Joyce Abdulmalik granted the forfeiture application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), holding that Mr Malami and others laying claim to the assets failed to prove they lawfully acquired them.
The properties, worth N180.4 billion, by PREMIUM TIMES’ calculation based on the values the EFCC attached to each, include hotels, a university, malls, corporate entities, residential houses scattered in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and Birnin-Kebbi, the capital of Kebbi State from where Mr Malami hails.
However, Judge Abdulmalik released only nine out of the 57 assets the EFCC presented for final forfeiture.
The judge said the EFCC did not convincingly prove that the nine assets were illegitimately acquired.
