The trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, continued on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with a prosecution witness revealing that Zenith Bank Plc filed Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) over transactions connected to accounts linked to the former minister.
The witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank and the fourth prosecution witness, made the disclosure while testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik during cross-examination by defence counsel, Adebayo Adedeji.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Malami alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami, over allegations involving conspiracy, concealment, and laundering of alleged unlawful proceeds amounting to more than ₦8.7 billion.
During the proceedings, defence counsel asked whether deposits reflected in the account statements complied with guidelines set by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
In response, the witness said the transactions complied with banking procedures but disclosed that the bank still filed Suspicious Transaction Reports concerning the transactions.
“We had to file Suspicious Transaction Report. We did file,” the witness told the court.
Under re-examination, prosecution counsel, J. S. Okutepa, asked the witness to explain what qualifies as a suspicious transaction report.
Although the defence objected to the question, arguing that no clarification was necessary, Justice Abdulmalik overruled the objection and allowed the witness to respond.
Bata explained that repeated or patterned cash deposits are typically escalated to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for review and analysis.
He also clarified that his role at Zenith Bank mainly involved handling correspondences from law enforcement agencies and that he was not the account officer or relationship manager for the accounts being investigated.
After the conclusion of his testimony, the court discharged the witness as both prosecution and defence counsel confirmed they had no further questions.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until May 22, 2026, for continuation of trial.