The long-awaited corruption trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, is scheduled to commence in London on Monday.
Alison-Madueke, 65, who also made history as the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is facing five counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery linked to her tenure as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to The PUNCH, the indictment, the former minister is accused of receiving “financial and other advantages” from individuals connected to two international energy firms during the period.
Prosecutors allege that the benefits included the use and refurbishment of luxury properties in London, staff costs, high-end furniture, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights, and cash payments amounting to £100,000.
Other alleged inducements include payment of school fees for her son, luxury items purchased from stores such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, as well as additional private jet travel.
UK prosecutors contend that accepting these benefits amounted to an “improper performance” of her official duties as Nigeria’s oil minister.
Alison-Madueke appeared before a London court last week for preliminary proceedings, which covered technical issues and jury selection. The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks.
Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also standing trial on related bribery charges.
The former minister has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all allegations. She was formally charged in 2023.
Commenting on the case at the time, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”
Earlier in 2023, the NCA disclosed that it had provided evidence to United States authorities, leading to the recovery of $53.1 million in assets allegedly linked to the case.
The recovered assets included luxury properties in California and New York, as well as a 65-metre superyacht, Galactica Star, according to the US Department of Justice.
Born in Port Harcourt in 1960, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States before working with Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary.
She later held several ministerial positions, including Minister of Transport and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, before being appointed petroleum minister in 2010. In 2014, she became OPEC’s first female president, a position she held for about a year.
