JUST IN: UK POLICE CHARGE DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE WITH BRIBERY

Read Time:1 Minute, 54 Second

By Aishat Momoh. O.

The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Tuesday that Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), had been charged with bribery offenses pertaining to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister.

When Alison-Madueke, 63, was first detained in London in October 2015, she was released on bail. On October 2, she will show up in court in the British capital, according to the NCA.

Her family’s attorney told AFP shortly after her detention that she would vehemently refute the corruption accusations that have followed her both during and after her stint in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

From 2010 to 2015, Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s first female oil minister and the first female leader of the world’s largest oil cartel, OPEC.

The head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, said in a statement, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.”

According to the NCA, Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, private jet travel, opulent vacations for her family, and the use of numerous houses in London.

The charges also list financial perks such as furnishings, personnel for property renovations, payment for private school tuition, and gifts from high-end luxury stores like Louis Vuitton products and Cartier jewelry.

“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries,” Kelly said.

“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation,” he added.

Since her initial arrest, Alison-Madueke has resided in the affluent neighborhood of St. John’s Wood in north London, where she has also had chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family.

When she was arrested, the NCA stated anonymously that it had only detained five people in London on suspicion of participating in international corruption.

Alison-Madueke’s detention was later confirmed by Nigeria’s administration under Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan’s successor, which also stated that its law enforcement agencies were working with their British counterparts.

After taking power, former Army General Buhari launched an anti-corruption campaign.

AFP