A compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, Mashelia Bata, on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the bank filed a suspicious transaction report on an account linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
Bata testified in the ongoing trial involving Malami, his wife and son over alleged money laundering amounting to ₦8.7 billion.
The defendants are facing a 16-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They had earlier pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC, the witness was cross-examined by defence counsel, Adebayo Adedeji.
During cross-examination, Bata admitted that the deposits reflected in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
However, he added that the bank still considered it necessary to file a suspicious transaction report regarding the deposits.
During proceedings, EFCC counsel, Jibrin Okutepa, asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report.
The defence objected to the question, arguing that there was no ambiguity in the term.
But Okutepa argued that Section 215(3) of the Evidence Act allowed him to re-examine the witness and seek clarification where necessary.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik overruled the objection and directed the witness to answer the question.
Explaining the bank’s action, the witness told the court that financial institutions are required to report unusual or repetitive patterns of deposits to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
“Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU,” the witness said.
Following the testimony, the witness was discharged from the witness box.
Justice Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the matter until May 22 for continuation of trial.