The corruption trial of former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke in London was delayed on Monday due to legal and technical issues, lawyers said.
Alison-Madueke, 65, the first woman to serve as 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 Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under former president Goodluck Jonathan.
Lawyers said the trial may not formally begin until Tuesday, as both the prosecution and defence teams are still required to agree on the admissibility of certain evidence and finalise jury selection.
Prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke accepted “financial or other advantages” from individuals connected to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015.
The alleged benefits include refurbishment works and staff costs for several London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven vehicles, a private jet flight to Nigeria, and £100,000 ($137,000) in cash.
Further charges claim she received additional bribes such as school fees for her son, luxury goods from high-end retailers including Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and more private jet flights.
According to the indictment, accepting these benefits amounted to the “improper performance” of her official duties as petroleum minister.
Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court last week for preliminary hearings, including procedural 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 standing trial on related bribery charges.
‘Abuse of power’
Alison-Madueke has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has consistently denied all allegations.
In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged her with bribery offences.
“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 agency said it provided evidence to US authorities that enabled the recovery of $53.1 million in assets linked to her alleged corruption. The seized assets included luxury properties in California and New York, as well as a 65-metre superyacht, Galactica Star, according to a statement by the US Department of Justice on March 27.
Born in Port Harcourt in 1960, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the United Kingdom and the United States before joining the Nigerian subsidiary of oil major Shell.
Her political career began in 2007 when she was appointed Minister of Transport under former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. She later served as Minister of Mines and Steel Development before becoming Minister of Petroleum Resources in April 2010 after Jonathan assumed office.
In 2014, she made history as the first female president of OPEC, a position she held for about a year.
AFP
