DIEZANI RETURNS TO LONDON COURT AS UK PROSECUTORS PRESENT BRIBERY EVIDENCE
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has returned to a London court as prosecutors continued presenting evidence in an ongoing high-profile corruption and bribery trial with international implications.
British prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke received cash payments and luxury benefits in exchange for using her influence to secure oil and gas contracts, allegations she has consistently denied.
On Monday, jurors heard testimony from a luxury furnishings retailer and a former housekeeper, as the prosecution sought to demonstrate how expensive purchases and the use of London properties were allegedly facilitated through intermediaries linked to the former minister.
The 65-year-old faces multiple counts of bribery arising from a years-long investigation by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA). The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 2011 and 2015, when she served as Nigeria’s oil minister while maintaining a residence in the United Kingdom.
According to the prosecution, Alison-Madueke accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals connected to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups—companies that reportedly secured lucrative contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries.
The court was told that the alleged benefits included £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, as well as refurbishment works and staff costs for several London properties. Other charges claim she received payment of school fees for her son, luxury goods from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and additional private jet travel.
Alison-Madueke, who also served as President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015, has been linked to multiple legal proceedings across several jurisdictions, including the United States.
She has been on bail in the UK since her arrest in October 2015 and was formally charged with accepting bribes in 2023, charges she continues to deny as the trial progresses.
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