The corruption trial of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, is scheduled to commence in London on Monday.
Alison-Madueke, who also made history as the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is facing six criminal charges bordering on bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery linked to her tenure in office.
The 65-year-old is accused of receiving financial and other benefits from individuals connected to two energy companies between 2011 and 2015, a period during which she served as Nigeria’s oil minister under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the charges, the alleged inducements included the use and renovation of luxury properties in London, payment of staff costs, high-end furniture, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet flights to Nigeria and about £100,000 in cash.
Prosecutors also allege that Alison-Madueke received other benefits such as the payment of school fees for her son, luxury items from brands including Harrods and Louis Vuitton, as well as additional private jet trips.
The indictment claimed that accepting such benefits amounted to an improper discharge of her duties as petroleum minister, particularly in relation to the award of lucrative oil contracts.
Alison-Madueke appeared before a London court last week for preliminary proceedings, including jury selection and other technical matters, ahead of the full trial, which is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks.
Two other individuals, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also standing trial in connection with the alleged bribery scheme.
The former minister was first arrested in London in October 2015 and has remained on bail since then. She has consistently denied all the allegations levelled against her.
In 2023, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency formally filed the bribery charges, alleging that Alison-Madueke abused her position to secure personal benefits in exchange for approving multi-million-pound contracts.
The agency also disclosed that it had provided evidence to United States authorities, leading to the recovery of assets valued at about $53.1m, including luxury properties in California and New York, as well as a superyacht.
Alison-Madueke, who was born in Port Harcourt in 1960, studied architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States before joining Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary.
She later served as minister of transportation, minister of mines and steel development, and was appointed petroleum minister in 2010, a position she held until 2015.