The corruption trial of former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is set to begin in London on Monday.
The 65-year-old, who was also the first woman president of OPEC, faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery during her tenure as Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan.
Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting financial and material advantages, including the use and refurbishment of London properties, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, £100,000 in cash, her son’s school fees, luxury goods from Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and more.
The indictment states that accepting these bribes constituted “improper performance” of her duties.
Two other individuals, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also being prosecuted on related bribery charges.
Alison-Madueke, who has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015, denies the charges. The trial is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.
In 2023, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged her, stating, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”
The NCA also provided evidence to US prosecutors, leading to the recovery of $53.1 million in assets linked to her alleged corruption, including luxury real estate in California and New York and a superyacht.
Born in Port Harcourt in 1960, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the UK and US, worked at Shell, and served as transport minister, minister of mines and steel, and petroleum minister under the Jonathan administration.
