CORRUPTION TRIAL OF FORMER OIL MINISTER DIEZANI ALISON-MADUEKE SET TO BEGIN IN LONDON
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
The long-awaited corruption trial of former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is scheduled to commence in London on Monday. Alison-Madueke, 65, who also became the first female president of OPEC, faces six charges, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The charges relate to her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to two energy companies between 2011 and 2015. These alleged benefits include the use and refurbishment of London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights to Nigeria, £100,000 in cash, school fees for her son, and high-end luxury items from stores such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton.
The indictment claims that these bribes amounted to “improper performance” of her duties as oil minister. Two co-defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery-related charges in the case.
Alison-Madueke appeared last week in a London court for preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection. The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. She has been on bail since her first arrest in London in October 2015 and denies all charges.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged her in 2023, alleging that she abused her ministerial power to secure multi-million-pound contracts in exchange for personal financial gain. Evidence provided by the NCA has also assisted US authorities in recovering $53.1 million in assets linked to Alison-Madueke, including luxury properties in California and New York and the 65-metre superyacht, Galactica Star.
Born in Port Harcourt in 1960, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the UK and the US before joining Shell Nigeria. She held several ministerial roles, including Minister of Transport in 2007, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and finally Minister of Petroleum Resources in 2010. She made history in 2014 as the first female president of OPEC, a position she held for about a year.
The trial is set to be one of the highest-profile prosecutions involving a former Nigerian government official in the UK, drawing attention to global anti-corruption efforts and the accountability of public officials.
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