BREAKING: ‘I made N374m from salaries, N10bn from businesses,’ Malami tells court
Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he earned hundreds of millions of naira from salaries and gifts, and over N10 billion from private businesses, as he seeks to overturn an interim order authorising the seizure of 57 properties linked to him.
Malami made the disclosure through his counsel, Joseph Daudu (SAN), in a motion on notice filed before the court, requesting that an interim forfeiture order granted in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) be vacated in respect of three of the affected properties.
The interim order had directed the seizure of 57 properties allegedly linked to the former AGF, pending the determination of forfeiture proceedings in favour of the Federal Government.
In the court filings, Malami stated that he had fully disclosed his sources of income in his asset declaration submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). According to the motion, his declared earnings included N374.63 million derived from salaries, estacodes, severance allowances and other official entitlements.
The former minister also declared N574.07 million as income generated from the disposal of assets, as well as a business turnover of N10.02 billion from private enterprises. In addition, he disclosed loans amounting to N2.52 billion advanced to businesses.
Malami further told the court that he received N958 million as traditional gifts from personal friends. He also declared N509.88 million 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.”
The motion urged the court to set aside the interim forfeiture order, arguing that the properties in question were acquired from legitimate sources of income and were not proceeds of unlawful activities.
The court has yet to fix a date to hear the application.
