LONDON: British prosecutors on Tuesday alleged that former Nigerian petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, funded an extravagant lifestyle through bribes received while in office.
Alison-Madueke, 65, appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London at the opening of her corruption trial, where she faces five counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The charges relate to her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the prosecution, individuals seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned oil company offered Alison-Madueke substantial financial and material benefits.
Prosecutors told the court that she allegedly accepted advantages from people and firms doing highly profitable business with government-owned entities.
The alleged benefits include £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, luxury shopping items, payment of school fees for her son, and renovation and staffing costs for several London properties.
Some of the alleged bribes were said to be linked to companies associated with Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical, which secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or its subsidiaries.
Alison-Madueke, who also served as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015, has faced multiple legal actions internationally. In Nigeria, courts ordered the seizure of several properties linked to her in 2017.
The former minister, who has been on bail since her arrest in London in 2015, has denied all charges. Two other defendants, including her brother, Doye Agama, are also standing trial. The court expects the case to conclude by April 24.
