The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday fixed July 6 for judgment in the forfeiture suit filed by the EFCC against 57 properties linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, SAN.
Judge Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date after EFCC’s lawyer, Jibrin Okutepa, SAN, and counsel to Malami and other respondents, Adedayo Adedeji, SAN, adopted their processes and presented their arguments for and against the case.
The anti-graft agency had, in the suit, sought the final forfeiture of the properties for reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.
Moving the motion, Okutepa told the court that the motion, filed in February, was supported by a 47-paragraph affidavit with 46 exhibits.
The lawyer, who said the motion was in “three volumes,” prayed the court to grant the application.
Relying on the processes, he urged the court to hold that Malami and other respondents had “woefully failed to show cause” that the properties “were acquired legitimately.”
He urged the court to order the forfeiture of the properties permanently to the Federal Government.
Responding, Adedeji said the application, filed on 27 Feb. 27 and supported by a 109-paragraph affidavit, was deposed to by Malami himself.
He said the affidavit was filed to show cause why the final forfeiture order should not be granted.
Adedeji urged the court not only to set aside the earlier interim order, but also to hold that the respondents had demonstrated that the properties “were not acquired from proceeds of crime.”He argued that the EFCC merely relied on suspicion to allege that the properties were acquired with proceeds of crime.
After all parties adopted their processes, the judge adjourned the matter until 6 July for ruling and judgement.
