Malami Accuses EFCC of Disobeying Court Bail Order

Malami accused EFCC of ignoring a court bail order
EFCC denied being properly served with the order
Legal teams disagreed over service and due process

Former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of failing to uphold the rule of law over an alleged refusal to comply with a court order granting him bail.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Malami made the allegation following reports that a Federal High Court in Abuja had granted him bail. He claimed that despite the order, the anti graft agency failed to act in line with the court’s directive.

However, the EFCC has denied the allegation, insisting that it was never properly served with the court order. The commission, through its legal team, maintained that it cannot be accused of disobeying an order it had no formal notice of.

In a statement issued by Malami’s media office and signed by Mohammed Doka, the former AGF insisted that both the EFCC and its lawyers were duly served shortly after the court granted bail.

According to the statement, a court bailiff attempted to serve the order at the EFCC office but officials allegedly declined to acknowledge or receive the documents.

“The claim by the EFCC that it was not served with the court order is incorrect and misleading,” the statement said. It added that service was carried out in line with court procedures and that proof of service exists.

Responding, counsel to the EFCC, Barrister Okutepa, SAN, rejected the claim, stating that the commission was never properly served with the bail order.

He argued that due process must be followed not only in the granting of court orders but also in their service, stressing that the EFCC cannot be held liable for violating an order it was not formally notified of.