Ex-oil minister Alison-Madueke denies bribery charges in UK court

A former Nigerian petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday denied asking for or receiving bribes while in office, as she testified before the Southwark Crown Court.

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Mrs Alison-Madueke, 65, told the court she had “tried to push back on corruption” in Nigeria, which she described as a longstanding challenge dating back to the colonial era.

The former minister is standing trial over allegations of corruption, having been charged in 2023 with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

UK prosecutors say the charges are linked to the awarding of oil and gas contracts during her tenure as petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015.

Mrs Alison-Madueke also served as president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries between 2014 and 2015. She relocated to the United Kingdom after the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. She also faces multiple corruption cases in Nigeria, some of which have stalled due to her absence.

Nigerian courts, however, have ordered the forfeiture of assets worth billions of naira linked to her.

Spending allegations

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In January, PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mrs Alison-Madueke’s lavish UK lifestyle was opulently funded by Nigerian oil contractors.

Prosecutors allege that several Nigerian businessmen funded lavish expenses on her behalf, including more than £2 million spent at Harrods and about £4.6 million used to refurbish properties in London and Buckinghamshire.

According to the prosecution, some of the purchases were made using payment cards linked to Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko and his company, Tenka Limited.

The case also includes allegations that she had access to luxury properties, including a £2.8 million home in Marylebone and residences overlooking Regent’s Park, as well as a “grand” home in Buckinghamshire.

Defence

Denying the allegations, Mrs Alison-Madueke told the court that expenses incurred on her behalf during official engagements were reimbursed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

“I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort… and did not abuse my office,” she said, according to BBC.

She explained that a logistics company was set up in London to handle official arrangements because of what she described as a disorganised financial structure at the NNPC at the time.

ALSO READ: Four witnesses testify from Nigeria in UK trial of Diezani Alison-Madueke

“They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs… to allow me to perform the job that I did,” she said.

She also denied knowledge of an alleged £100,000 cash delivery linked to one of her drivers, insisting the money had nothing to do with her.

Property use, security concerns

Mrs Alison-Madueke told the court that some of the properties cited by prosecutors were used for official purposes, including discreet meetings, while others were either arranged without her involvement or uninhabitable at the time.

She said her stay at a property in Buckinghamshire in 2011 was due to her then husband’s medical condition, while another visit involved officials working on a publication highlighting women-focused initiatives of the Nigerian government.

Addressing security concerns, she told the court she faced kidnapping threats while in office, noting that Nigeria is “a very patriarchal society” where her position as a female minister attracted risks.

Also standing trial is oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who denies one count of bribery and another of bribing a foreign public official.

Mrs Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, is also facing charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, which he denies.

The trial continues.