The Appeal Court in Abuja has reserved its ruling on former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami's bid to stop the interim forfeiture of 57 properties linked to him.
Malami's lawyers filed an application challenging the seizure of the properties, which the federal government ordered through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The court heard arguments from both sides but did not deliver a judgment on the day, instead reserving the ruling for a date to be announced later.
The forfeiture action is part of a wider investigation into Malami's assets and their sources. Investigators have questioned how a public official accumulated such extensive property holdings, with some acquisitions traced back to his time in office as the country's chief law officer under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Malami, who served as AGF from 2015 to 2023, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. His legal team argues that the interim forfeiture violates his rights and that proper procedures were not followed before the government moved to seize the properties.
The EFCC and the federal government maintain that the properties were acquired through proceeds of crime or illicit enrichment. The investigation remains ongoing, with more properties potentially subject to further scrutiny.
The appellate court's decision will determine whether Malami can proceed with legal challenges to the forfeiture or whether the interim seizure stands pending the outcome of the substantive case. A date for the court's ruling has not yet been set.
