A former Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged before Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
She appeared before the court yesterday (Monday morning) with bribery offences following an investigation by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
During the proceedings, Alison-Madueke gave her name, date of birth and address.
She was not asked to formally enter a plea, although Mark Bowen, her lawyer, told the court that she would be pleading not guilty.
The district judge, Michael Snow, granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail.
The judge however imposed other terms on Alison-Madueke including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn at all times and a 70,000-pound surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), leads the UK’s fight to cut serious and organised crime, protecting the public by targeting and pursuing criminals who pose the greatest risk to the UK.
In August, NCA said it suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a statement published on its website, NCA said Diezani “is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties”.
She was alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Her charges also detailed financial rewards, including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.
Aliso-Madueke, who currently lives in St John’s Wood, London, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday, October 2, 2023.
Recalled that the Head of the NCA’s International Corruption Unit (ICU), Andy Kelly, was quoted saying: “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”
Assets worth millions of pounds relating to the alleged offences have already been frozen as part of the ongoing investigation.
In March this year, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD$53.1m linked to Diezani Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
ICU officers have also worked closely with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria during the investigation, as well as the with the NCA-hosted International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.
The IACCC brings together specialist anti-corruption investigators from agencies around the world to tackle allegations of corruption involving politically exposed people. It is currently working in 37 different jurisdictions.
Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, Andrew Penhale, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the NCA to charge Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offences.
“The CPS made the decision to authorise the charge after reviewing a file of evidence from the NCA relating to allegations of bribery in Nigeria.
“Criminal proceedings against Ms Alison-Madueke are active and she has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”
Diezani Alison-Madueke, aged 63, who also served as President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was a key figure in President Goodluck Jonathan-led government between 2010 and 2015.
In March this year, the NCA also provided evidence to the US department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD $53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.
Andy Kelly, head of the NCA’s international corruption unit (ICU), said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation”.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat,” Kelly added.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had also alleged that the former minister stole $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while she was a minister.
