British prosecutors on Tuesday accused former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of enjoying a “life of luxury” funded by bribes received while in office.
Alison-Madueke, 65, appeared before Southwark Crown Court in London on the opening day of her trial, where she is facing multiple counts of bribery allegedly committed between 2011 and 2015, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Prosecutors told the court that individuals and companies seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned oil firm provided Alison-Madueke with “significant financial or other advantages.”
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“As a minister, she should not have accepted benefits from those who were doing—no doubt extremely lucrative—business in oil and gas with government-owned entities,” the prosecution said.
According to the charges, the former minister received bribes from individuals connected to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups—companies that later secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries.
The court heard that Alison-Madueke allegedly accepted £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, a private jet flight to Nigeria, as well as refurbishment works and staff costs for several London properties.
Further allegations include the receipt of bribes, including school fees for her son, luxury goods from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and additional private jet flights.
Alison-Madueke served as President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She has been linked to multiple legal proceedings in several jurisdictions, including the United States.
In Nigeria, courts in 2017 ordered the seizure of several properties linked to her, valued in the millions of dollars. A spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed that the agency still has “subsisting cases” against her.
Alison-Madueke was first arrested in London in October 2015 and has been on bail since then. She has denied all charges.
In 2023, UK authorities formally charged her with accepting bribes. At the time, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) said it suspected she had “abused her position in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”
Two other defendants—Doye Agama, her brother, and Olatimbo Ayinde—are also facing bribery charges connected to the case. Prosecutors said all three had UK addresses at the time of the alleged offences.
Presiding judge Justine Thornton said the court expects the trial to conclude by April 24.
