British prosecutors on Tuesday alleged that former Nigerian oil minister and ex-OPEC president, Diezani Alison-Madueke, funded a lavish lifestyle with bribes received while in office.
The 65-year-old appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on the opening day of her corruption trial, where she faces several counts of bribery linked to her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2011 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Prosecutors told the court that individuals seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned petroleum corporation provided Alison-Madueke with substantial financial and other benefits. They argued that, as a minister, she should not have accepted inducements from parties doing highly profitable business with government-owned entities in the oil and gas sector.
According to the prosecution, the alleged bribes came from individuals connected to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups, both of which secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries.
The court heard that Alison-Madueke allegedly received £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, a private jet flight to Nigeria, and payments covering refurbishment and staffing costs at several London properties. Additional allegations include the payment of her son’s school fees, luxury items from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet travel.
Alison-Madueke, who served as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015, has faced multiple legal actions in different jurisdictions, including the United States. In Nigeria, courts seized several properties linked to her and valued at millions of dollars in 2017.
A spokesperson for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed that the agency still has ongoing cases involving the former minister, though no further details were provided.
She has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all charges. Formal bribery charges were brought against her in 2023.
At the time, the UK National Crime Agency stated that it suspected Alison-Madueke of abusing her position to receive financial rewards in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.
Two other defendants — her brother, Doye Agama, and Olatimbo Ayinde — are also standing trial on related bribery charges. Prosecutors said all three had British addresses at the time the alleged offences were committed.
Presiding judge, Justice Justine Thornton, said the court expects the trial to conclude by April 24.
