2023-10-02 12:06:57
A former Nigerian oil minister appeared in a London court on Monday accused of receiving bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, private jet flights and use of property high-end in Britain in exchange for the award of oil contracts.
Diezani Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015, during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
During her appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court, she spoke only to give her name, date of birth and address. She has not been asked to formally plead guilty, but her lawyer Mark Bowen told the court she would plead not guilty.
She is the second high-profile Nigerian politician to be prosecuted in Britain in recent years, following James Ibori, the state’s former governor, who was convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2012 and was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.
Nigeria is Africa’s largest oil producer, but it suffers from systemic corruption within the political class that has hampered development and prevented oil wealth from benefiting society as a whole.
Ms Alison-Madueke was arrested in London in 2015, shortly following leaving her post as minister, and was charged in August with six corruption offences. She has spent the last eight years on police bail, living in St John’s Wood, an expensive area of London.
The charges once morest her, read out in court, all relate to events which allegedly took place in London.
Prosecutor Andy Young said she allegedly accepted a wide range of cash and kind benefits from people who wanted to obtain or continue to obtain the award of oil contracts which he said were worth billions in total. of dollars.
These benefits included being given 100,000 pounds ($121,620) in cash, paying his son’s private school tuition, and the use and renovation of several luxury properties in London and the English countryside. .
They also include use of a Range Rover car, paying bills for chauffeur-driven cars, furniture and purchases at high-end London department store Harrods and at Vincenzo Caffarella, which sells decorative arts and antiques Italian.
District Judge Michael Snow granted Alison-Madueke bail but imposed conditions on her, including a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., wearing an electronic bracelet at all times and paying money. bail of 70,000 pounds before she can leave the court building.
His next appearance will be on October 30 at Southwark Crown Court, which handles serious criminal cases.
Britain, Nigeria’s former colonial power, has long been a destination of choice for wealthy members of Nigeria’s political elite seeking to reap the benefits of their wealth.
London is a global hub for money laundering, but it is rare for public figures like Alison-Madueke to be prosecuted for corruption-related crimes.
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