Manny Ita
The corruption trial of Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, formally commenced this week at the Southwark Crown Court in London, with prosecutors detailing a decade of alleged bribery and “industrial-scale” corruption. The 65-year-old, who served under President Goodluck Jonathan and was the first female president of OPEC, faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, all of which she denies.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy told the jury that the defendant “enjoyed a life of luxury in London” that was entirely underwritten by oil industry figures seeking lucrative contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The prosecution alleges that between 2011 and 2015, Alison-Madueke accepted vast financial advantages from individuals linked to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical. These benefits reportedly included at least £100,000 in cash, the use of multiple high-end London properties, and more than £4 million in renovation costs and staff salaries for those residences.
Further details presented in court outlined a pattern of high-end consumption, including luxury goods from Harrods and Louis Vuitton, private jet flights, and the payment of private school fees for her son. The prosecution noted that while there may not be evidence she awarded contracts to unqualified entities, it was “improper for her to have accepted benefits from those doing business with government-owned entities” while in a position of public trust.
The trial, which is expected to last between 10 and 120 weeks, also involves her brother, Doye Agama, a Manchester-based bishop, and oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, both of whom have also pleaded not guilty. This case follows a decade-long investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and is linked to ongoing international asset recovery efforts, including $52.88 million recently returned to Nigeria by the United States government.
