Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke is facing trial in London for allegedly accepting luxury goods and properties in exchange for oil contracts.
British prosecutors at the Southwark Crown Court have accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, of accepting significant bribes in the form of luxury goods and high-end property usage from industry figures. Alison-Madueke appeared in court on Tuesday alongside her brother, Doye Agama, and oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde to face a five-count charge bordering on the acceptance of bribes. All defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which allege that the former minister leveraged her political influence to facilitate oil contracts for her benefactors.
During the proceedings, prosecutor Alexandra Healy told the jurors that the former minister “enjoyed a life of luxury in London,” which was funded by individuals seeking preferential treatment in Nigeria’s oil sector. Healy argued that Alison-Madueke was provided with high-end properties and expensive goods by people who believed she would use her official position to “favour them for oil contracts.” The prosecution contends that these arrangements were part of a systemic quid-pro-quo relationship between the minister and business interests.
Specific allegations highlighted by the prosecution involved Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko, who is named in the charges but is not currently standing trial. Healy informed the jury that Aluko spent more than two million pounds on items for Alison-Madueke at Harrods, the renowned UK-based luxury department store. Furthermore, the prosecutor stated that the former minister and her family “frequently stayed in a mansion outside London bought by Aluko,” characterizing the arrangement as a direct benefit of the alleged corruption scheme.
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