Jurors at Southwark Crown Court have heard claims that former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke spent £140,000 in a single day on high-end furniture while serving in government.
The allegation was made by prosecutor Alexandra Healy during the resumed bribery trial in London on Monday. Healy told Judge Michael Snow that the purchases were made at a luxury antiques dealer and included bespoke lighting and decorative art.
According to the prosecution, the items were allegedly paid for through intermediaries at a time when Alison-Madueke was Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources and president of Opec.
The 69-year-old former minister is facing five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, alongside Agama and oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde. The charges relate to alleged benefits received from individuals linked to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015.
All defendants have entered not guilty pleas.
Healy further accused Alison-Madueke of disguising bribes as charitable donations, including an alleged £1.1 million contribution towards the purchase of a property for a Manchester church linked to her brother.
She told the court that the donation had been routed in a “circuitous” manner and that the donor’s name was incorrectly recorded, circumstances she said were indicative of wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also claimed that the former minister later threatened to report alleged illegal activities after learning of an apparent plot to undermine her.
In response, defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw rejected the allegations, arguing that Alison-Madueke had no control over the awarding of oil contracts. He also questioned why other individuals named in the case had not been prosecuted or extradited to the UK.
The hearing was attended by members of the Ijaw community, many of whom travelled to London to show their support.
