The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced on Saturday that it has seized the travel passport of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The commission disclosed this in a fact sheet detailing its investigation into Malami’s involvement in the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT).
According to the EFCC, Malami cannot travel outside Nigeria without the permission of a court.
The former AGF had previously been invited to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja for questioning. He was later released on administrative bail on Saturday at around 1 am, with instructions to report to the commission daily for further interrogation.
The EFCC stated:
“We did not accuse him of theft, but he is required to account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators. Given the large volume of documents he needs to review and the officials he must meet, we have seized his international passport. One of the conditions for his release on bail was that he reports daily to EFCC headquarters. He cannot travel abroad except as agreed with EFCC or with the permission of a High Court.”
While Malami has maintained that the allegations against him are fabricated, the commission emphasized that it will not engage in public disputes with the former AGF.
“We will not respond to his braggadocio, but we will release our findings to the public after a thorough investigation,” the EFCC added.
