The long-awaited corruption trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources and ex-OPEC president, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has commenced in London, where she is facing multiple bribery-related charges linked to her years in office.
Alison-Madueke, 65, is standing trial at a Westminster court on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The charges stem from allegations that she received illicit benefits while serving as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to prosecutors, the former minister accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals connected to two energy companies between 2011 and 2015.
These alleged benefits included the use and renovation of luxury London properties, payment of staff costs, high-end furniture, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, and cash payments amounting to £100,000.
Further allegations include the payment of school fees for her son, purchases from luxury brands such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and additional private jet travel.
Prosecutors argue that accepting these benefits amounted to an improper performance of her official duties as petroleum minister.
Alison-Madueke appeared in court last week for preliminary proceedings, including jury selection and other technical matters. The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks.
Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges connected to the case.
The former minister has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all allegations against her.
In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency formally charged her, alleging that she abused her position to receive financial rewards in exchange for awarding lucrative oil contracts.
Earlier investigations by the NCA led to cooperation with US authorities, resulting in the recovery of assets worth over $53 million, including luxury properties in New York and California, as well as a 65-metre superyacht.
Alison-Madueke, who studied architecture in the UK and the US before working with Shell in Nigeria, held several key government positions before becoming petroleum minister in 2010.
In 2014, she made history as the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
