A compliance officer with Zenith Bank Plc, Mashelia Bata, has told a Federal High Court in Abuja that the bank filed a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) over transactions on an account linked to former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
Bata testified on Wednesday during the ongoing trial of Malami, his wife, and son, who are facing a 16-count charge of alleged money laundering involving the sum of N8.7 billion. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Under cross-examination by defence counsel Adebayo Adedeji, the banker admitted that the deposits in the account statements complied with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
However, he maintained that the bank was compelled to file a suspicious transaction report.When EFCC counsel Jibrin Okutepa asked the witness to explain the meaning of a suspicious transaction report, the defence objected, but the presiding judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, overruled the objection and allowed the question.
Bata explained to the court that banks are required to escalate repetitive or patterned fund deposits to the NFIU.“Any deposition of funds seen in a pattern or repetitive, you must escalate it to the NFIU,” he said.
After his testimony, the compliance officer was discharged from the witness box. Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to May 22, 2026, for the continuation of the trial.
The case is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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