Diezani Alison-Madueke denies living lavishly on oil bribes in UK court

British prosecutors on Tuesday accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former oil minister and the first woman to lead OPEC, of funding a lavish lifestyle with bribes linked to oil and gas contracts.

Alison-Madueke, 65, appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on the opening day of her trial, where she faces multiple bribery charges dating from 2011 to 2015, when she served as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources under former president Goodluck Jonathan.

Prosecutors told the court that individuals seeking “lucrative oil and gas contracts” with Nigeria’s state-owned petroleum corporation provided Alison-Madueke with “significant financial or other advantages”. As a serving minister, they said, she should not have accepted benefits from companies doing highly profitable business with government-owned entities.

The prosecution alleges that the benefits came from individuals connected to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical, companies that secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiaries.

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According to the charges, Alison-Madueke received £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria, and refurbishment work and staff costs at several London properties. Other alleged benefits include school fees for her son, luxury goods from retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and additional private jet flights.

Alison-Madueke served as OPEC president for one year between 2014 and 2015. Since leaving office, she has been the subject of multiple legal actions across several jurisdictions, including the United States.

In Nigeria, courts seized properties linked to her and valued at several million dollars in 2017. A spokesperson for Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said the agency still has pending cases against her, without providing details.

Alison-Madueke was first arrested in London in October 2015 and has remained on bail since then. She has denied all charges. In 2023, British authorities formally charged her with accepting bribes.

At the time, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) said it suspected she had abused her position to obtain financial rewards in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.

Two other defendants — Doye Agama, her brother, and Olatimbo Ayinde — are also standing trial on related bribery charges. Prosecutors said all three had British addresses at the time of the alleged offences.

The trial judge, Justine Thornton, said proceedings were expected to conclude by 24 April.

Oluwatosin Ogunjuyigbe is a writer and journalist who covers business, finance, technology, and the changing forces shaping Nigeria’s economy. He focuses on turning complex ideas into clear, compelling stories.

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