The corruption trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, has begun in London.
Alison-Madueke, 65, is facing five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The charges are linked to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Prosecutors allege that between 2011 and 2015, she received financial benefits from individuals connected to two energy companies. These benefits reportedly included the use of several London properties, renovation and staff costs, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, and £100,000 in cash.
Further charges claim she also received bribes such as payment of her son’s school fees and luxury items from stores like Harrods and Louis Vuitton. She is also accused of receiving additional private jet flights.
According to prosecutors, accepting these benefits amounted to the improper performance of her duties as oil minister.
Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court last week for preliminary hearings and jury selection. The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges related to the case.
The former minister has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015. She has denied all allegations against her. In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency formally charged her, saying it believes she abused her position to receive financial rewards for awarding oil contracts.
Earlier in 2023, the agency said it shared evidence with US authorities. This led to the recovery of assets worth $53.1 million. The recovered assets included luxury properties in the United States and a 65-metre superyacht known as Galactica Star.
Alison-Madueke was born in 1960 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. She studied architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States before joining Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary. She later entered politics and served as Minister of Transport, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and Minister of Petroleum Resources. In 2014, she became the first woman to serve as president of OPEC.
