The trial of former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke opened in London on Tuesday, with prosecutors alleging she accepted cash and luxury benefits from oil executives seeking favourable treatment.
Alexandra Healy, for the prosecution, told Southwark Crown Court that Alison-Madueke received at least £100,000 in cash, private jet flights, chauffeur-driven vehicles and high-value goods while serving as Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015.
The former minister, now 65, is charged with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The allegations relate to benefits said to have been provided by individuals linked to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015.
Alison-Madueke is standing trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama. All defendants deny the charges.
Prosecutors told the court that Alison-Madueke stayed in luxury accommodation and received expensive gifts from individuals who believed she would use her influence to assist them in securing contracts with Nigerian state oil firms.
Healy said the case highlighted the damaging impact of corruption, describing bribery as a threat to the proper functioning of international markets. However, she acknowledged that there was no evidence that Alison-Madueke directly awarded contracts improperly.
The court heard allegations that Ayinde also bribed Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, the former managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, in 2015 following a change of government in Nigeria, to ensure a friend retained their position. Kachikwu is not a defendant in the case.
Alison-Madueke was first arrested in the UK in 2015 and released on bail. In 2023, the National Crime Agency formally charged her, alleging she abused her position to receive financial rewards and luxury benefits in exchange for influence over multi-million-pound oil contracts.
