DIEZANI DENIES BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS AS DEFENCE OPENS AT LONDON CORRUPTION TRIAL

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Lawyers representing former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources and ex-President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Thursday denied allegations that she received bribes, as the defence formally opened its case at her corruption trial in London.

Alison-Madueke, 65, who sat in the dock taking notes at the Southwark Crown Court, is facing multiple counts of bribery arising from a long-running investigation into her activities while in office between 2011 and 2015. The alleged offences are said to have occurred during her tenure as oil minister, at a time she maintained a residence in the United Kingdom.

The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has accused the former minister of receiving illicit payments and other benefits in Britain from individuals seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned petroleum corporation.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutors alleged that Alison-Madueke lived a “life of luxury” allegedly funded by parties linked to oil and gas interests. However, addressing the jury on Thursday, defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw argued that the former minister had been severely prejudiced by what he described as an “extraordinary delay” in bringing the charges.

Laidlaw told the 12-member jury that key materials which could have supported Alison-Madueke’s innocence were no longer available due to the passage of time. He said British authorities had retained her passport since her arrest 11 years ago, preventing her from returning to Nigeria to gather evidence and prepare her defence.

According to the defence, Nigerian ministers are prohibited from holding foreign bank accounts, and any expenses incurred on Alison-Madueke’s behalf in the UK were reimbursed from Nigeria. Laidlaw argued that documents held in Nigeria or by government officials would have demonstrated this, but many of those records had since disappeared.

“The fact is that material critical to her defence is now no longer available to her,” the lawyer told the court.

Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups, companies that allegedly secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries.

Prosecutors further allege that she received £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights, luxury shopping items, school fees for her son, and refurbishment and staffing costs for multiple London properties.

Alison-Madueke, who served as OPEC president from 2014 to 2015, has faced several legal actions in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States. The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court.

She has been on bail in Britain since she was first arrested in October 2015. In 2023, she was formally charged with accepting bribes, which she has denied.

Two others, Doye Agama, her brother, and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also being prosecuted on bribery charges linked to the case.

All three defendants had a British address at the time of the alleged offences, according to the prosecution.