Diezani Alison-Madueke, currently on trial in the UK and has denied all bribery and corruption charges. Alison-Madueke was arraigned at Southwark Crown Court, London for 5 counts of accepting bribes plus 1 count of conspiracy to commit bribery, covering 2011-2015 when she was Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum.
“At no time did I ask, take, or seek a bribe or bribes of any sort… I always sought to act impartially” She told Southwark Court. She also claimed she tried to push back on corruption in Nigeria, a country plagued by it since colonial times
She also described Nigeria as very patriarchal and sadly misogynistic who would not want a woman sitting at the helm and that she was told she “would be made the scapegoat” of the administration. She also said she faced kidnap threats and family members were kidnapped.
Prosecutors had alleged that she received £2M+ at Harrods, £4.6M on London/Buckinghamshire properties, private jets, chauffeurs, etc.. But she said NNPC reimbursed all expenses: “They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs to allow me to perform the job that I did”.
She also denied knowledge of a chauffeur delivering £100,000 to her strongly stating “the money had nothing to do with her”
Alison-Madueke was arrested October 2015 in London her passport being held since then. She was charged in 2023 by UK’s NCA.
Her lawyer said “a great deal of material which would have established her innocence is missing due to 11-year delay, and she was denied the opportunity to travel back to Nigeria to prepare her defence. She also faces separate cases in Nigeria with the Economic & Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) currently seizing properties worth millions of dollars.
