Legal, Technical Reasons Stall Ex-Minister Alison-Madueke’s Corruption Trial

The trial of former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, at the Crown Court in Southwark over corruption allegations was stalled on Monday due to legal and technical issues.

The London court had last week fixed Monday for the commencement of the trial, but the matter was adjourned to Tuesday after the prosecution and defence lawyers failed to reach an agreement on some technical issues.

According to lawyers who attended the proceedings, the parties needed to agree on certain evidence that may or may not be examined, and to finalise the selection of jurors.

The 65-year-old former minister was arraigned before the court on a five-count charge of accepting bribes and an additional count of conspiracy to commit bribery, relating to her tenure as Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015, under the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015.

The prosecution also alleged that the defendant was carrying out refurbishment work on several London properties and incurring staff costs, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria, and £100,000 ($137,000) in cash.

Two others, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also being prosecuted on bribery charges related to the case.

Alison-Madueke had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail by the court in October 2015 when she was first arrested.

Other counts allege she received bribes, including school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights.

The trial is set to last approximately 10 to 12 weeks, during which the court will hear testimony from various witnesses and review financial records, property transactions, and other evidence related to the alleged bribery scheme.

In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged Alison-Madueke, alleging she took bribes over four years from 2011 to 2015, during which she held considerable power in Nigeria’s oil industry.

NCA had claimed, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.”

Prosecutors claim that the ex-minister received at least £100,000 in cash and various luxury benefits from individuals seeking favourable treatment in oil contract awards.