British police said on Tuesday they had charged former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, with bribery offences, saying they suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts, Reuters reported.
Alison-Madueke, 63, was a key figure in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, serving as Petroleum Resources Minister from 2010 to 2015.
She also presided over the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
“We believe Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her position in Nigeria by accepting financial incentives for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”
“These charges are a watershed moment in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation,” said Andy Kelly, the head of the National Crime Agency’s International Corruption Unit.
According to the NCA, Alison-Madueke received at least 100,000 pounds in cash, chauffeured cars, private jet flights, luxury vacations for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
According to the NCA, the charges against her also detail financial benefits such as 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.
According to British police, she is currently residing in St John’s Wood, an affluent area of West London, and will appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2, 2023.
