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Former president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Diezani Alison-Madueke, has denied allegations that she accepted bribes during her corruption trial in London.
The ex-Nigerian oil minister, who was present in the dock at Southwark Crown Court on the third day of proceedings, faces multiple counts of bribery following a lengthy investigation by British authorities.
The charges relate to alleged offences between 2011 and 2015, when she served as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources while maintaining a residence in the United Kingdom.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) alleges that Alison-Madueke received illicit payments and benefits in Britain.
Prosecutors have argued that she lived an extravagant lifestyle financed by individuals seeking favourable oil and gas contracts from Nigeria’s state-owned petroleum corporation.
Addressing the jury, defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw argued that serious delays in the case had undermined his client’s ability to mount a proper defence.
He said crucial evidence that could have demonstrated her innocence was no longer available, partly because she had been unable to return to Nigeria to gather documents since British authorities retained her passport after her first arrest.
Laidlaw told the court that Nigerian ministers are prohibited from holding foreign bank accounts and maintained that any accommodation or purchases provided for Alison-Madueke in the UK had been reimbursed from Nigeria.
He further stated that records that could have supported this explanation had since gone missing.
According to prosecutors, Alison-Madueke accepted financial and other benefits from individuals connected to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical, companies that secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or its subsidiaries.
The alleged inducements include £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria, and renovation work and staffing costs at several London properties.
Additional counts relate to the payment of her son’s school fees, luxury goods purchased from retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet travel.
