The corruption trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in London was delayed on Monday due to legal and technical issues, lawyers involved in the case said.
Alison-Madueke, 65, who also served as the first female president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The charges relate to her tenure as petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to legal representatives, the trial may not formally commence until Tuesday, as both the prosecution and defence teams are still required to reach agreement on aspects of the evidence to be presented, as well as complete the selection of jurors.
Prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals connected to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015. The alleged benefits include refurbishment works and staff costs at several London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven vehicles, a private jet flight to Nigeria and £100,000 in cash.
Further counts accuse her of receiving additional bribes in the form of school fees for her son, luxury goods from high-end retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, as well as more private jet flights. Prosecutors contend that the acceptance of these benefits amounted to the improper performance of her official duties as oil minister.
Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court last week for preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection, ahead of a trial expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges in connection with the case.
The former minister has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all charges against her. In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged her with bribery-related offences, alleging an abuse of public office.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” the NCA said at the time.
Earlier in 2023, the NCA said it had provided evidence to United States prosecutors, enabling the recovery of assets valued at $53.1 million allegedly linked to the former minister’s corruption. The assets include luxury properties in California and New York, as well as a 65-metre superyacht, Galactica Star, according to the US Department of Justice.
Born in 1960 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States before joining Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary. She later entered politics, serving as Transport Minister in 2007 under former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and subsequently as Minister of Mines and Steel Development.
She was appointed Minister of Petroleum Resources in April 2010 and, in 2014, became the first woman to serve as president of OPEC, a position she held for about a year.
