A compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc testified Wednesday that the bank filed Suspicious Transaction Reports regarding the accounts of former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
The witness, Mashelia Arhyel Bata, told Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Maitama that the bank flagged the transactions despite them appearing to meet certain regulatory guidelines.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which disclosed the proceedings in a statement on X, is prosecuting Malami alongside his wife, Hajia Bashir Asabe, and his son, Abubakar Abdulaziz Malami.
They face an amended 16-count charge involving conspiracy and the laundering of N8.7 billion allegedly derived from unlawful activities.
Bata, testifying as the fourth prosecution witness, made the disclosure during cross-examination by defense counsel Adebayo Adedeji, SAN.
When asked if the deposits in the account statements followed Central Bank of Nigeria guidelines, the witness confirmed they did but maintained that the bank was still required to flag the activity.
“We had to file Suspicious Transaction Report. We did file,” Bata said.
Under re-examination by prosecution counsel J.S. Okutepa, SAN, Bata explained that an STR is triggered by specific financial behaviors.
“Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU,” the witness said, referring to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The defense objected to the witness providing this explanation, arguing there was no ambiguity in the prior testimony.
However, Justice Abdulmalik overruled the objection, allowing the witness to clarify the bank’s reporting obligations.
Bata noted that his role as a compliance officer involves managing correspondence with law enforcement agencies, though he was not the specific account officer or relationship manager for the defendants.
The court adjourned the matter until May 22, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
