According to Reuters, British police said on Tuesday that they had accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former minister of petroleum resources for Nigeria, with bribery crimes. They suspected her of accepting payments in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound contracts for oil and gas.
When Punch correspondent asked Wilson Uwujaren, the spokesperson for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, if the anti-graft agency would testify against Mrs. Alison-Madueke in the UK, he did not reply.
Alison-Madueke, 63, was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015. She also served as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
“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,” said Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s International Corruption Unit.
The NCA said Alison-Madueke was accused of benefitting from at least 100,000 pounds in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Charges against her also detail 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, the NCA said.
British police said she was currently living in St John’s Wood, an upmarket area of West London, and would appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2, 2023.
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