Justice Egwuatu withdraws from money laundering and forfeiture suits, returns files to Chief Judge for reassignment

Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has withdrawn from two high-profile cases instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

The judge announced his decision on Thursday during court proceedings, shortly after the matters were mentioned. He cited personal reasons and the need to safeguard the integrity of the judicial process as grounds for his recusal.

Justice Egwuatu had recently been reassigned the cases by the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.

One of the cases involves a criminal charge bordering on alleged money laundering filed against Malami, his wife, Hajia Asabe Bashir, and their son, Abdulaziz. The second matter is a related civil suit seeking the final forfeiture of 57 properties allegedly linked to Malami and suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

The properties, located across Abuja, Kebbi, Kano and Kaduna states, were earlier placed under interim forfeiture in January by Justice Emeka Nwite, who handled the matter as a vacation judge.

With Justice Egwuatu stepping aside, the case files are expected to be returned to the Chief Judge for reassignment to another judge to ensure the cases proceed without interruption.

Malami is also facing separate legal challenges. The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting him on a five-count charge involving alleged terrorism financing and unlawful possession of firearms. He and his son have pleaded not guilty to the charges.