British prosecutors on Tuesday accused a former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of living a “life of luxury” funded by bribes allegedly collected while she served in government.
According to reports, Alison-Madueke, 65, the first woman president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), appeared at the Southwark Crown Court in London on the opening day of her long-awaited trial.
The former minister is facing multiple counts of bribery allegedly committed between 2011 and 2015, when she was Nigeria’s petroleum minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Prosecutors told the court that individuals seeking “lucrative oil and gas contracts” with Nigeria’s state-owned oil firm offered Alison-Madueke “significant financial or other advantages.”
They added that, “As a minister, she should not have accepted benefits from those who were doing, no doubt extremely lucrative, business in oil and gas with government-owned entities.”
According to the prosecution, Alison-Madueke allegedly received benefits from individuals connected to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups.
Both companies were said to have secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or its subsidiaries during her tenure.
The court heard that the former minister allegedly received £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, and refurbishment works, including staff costs, at several properties in London.
Other charges allege that she accepted bribes in the form of school fees for her son and luxury items from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, as well as additional private jet trips.
According to reports, Alison-Madueke, who led OPEC between 2014 and 2015, has been involved in several legal cases across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States.
In Nigeria, courts in 2017 ordered the seizure of several properties linked to her and valued at several million dollars.
Confirming the status of the matter, a spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the agency still had “some subsisting cases against her,” without providing further details.
The former minister has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all charges against her.
She was formally charged in 2023, when the UK National Crime Agency stated, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”
Two other defendants, Doye Agama, described as her brother, and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges linked to the case.
Prosecutors said all three defendants had British addresses at the time the alleged offences were committed.
Presiding judge, Justice Justine Thornton, said she expected the trial to conclude by April 24.