Diezani
Proceedings resumed yesterday in London in the corruption and bribery trial of former Nigerian Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The jurors heard detailed evidence of the former minister’s extravagant spending trail at a luxury antiques store in the British capital city.
Prosecutors told the court that as much as £140,000 was spent in a single day on high-end furniture, bespoke lighting and decorative art, allegedly paid for through intermediaries during her time in office.
The public gallery of the court was filled with supporters from the Ijaw community who had flown in specifically for the trial.
But Alison-Madueke denies multiple charges relating to alleged misconduct while overseeing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Prosecutors, however, claimed she received cash and luxury benefits in exchange for influence over energy contracts.
The case has major implications for accountability in the global energy industry.
Lawyers for Diezani Alison-Madueke, the first woman president of OPEC, denied in a London court Thursday that the former Nigerian minister took bribes in their first formal response at her corruption trial. The 65-year-old, who sat in the dock at Southwark Crown Court taking notes on the third day of the trial, is accused of multiple bribery counts stemming from a year-long investigation.
The alleged offences occurred between 2011 and 2015, when she was Nigeria’s oil minister but maintained a UK address. Nation
