Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, for the preliminary hearing of her bribery trial.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Minister from 2010 to 2015, was Nigeria’s first female oil minister and also the first woman to become President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The case was listed on the cause list for Court 8 before Justice Thornton on Monday.
She appeared in court for the preliminary hearing ahead of her full trial, which is scheduled to commence on January 26, 2026.
Preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection, began this week, with Alison-Madueke in attendance.
The 65-year-old has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has denied all six charges against her.
She was formally charged in 2023 by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) with offences relating to the acceptance of bribes between 2011 and 2015.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” the NCA said at the time.
According to the indictment, Alison-Madueke allegedly benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets and the use of multiple London properties.
The charges also detail other alleged financial rewards, including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Louis Vuitton.
The trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, January 26, and is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks.
Two others are also being prosecuted in connection with the case. They are Doye Agama, who appeared in court via video link on Monday, and Olatimbo Ayinde, who was present in the dock.
