UK police charge Diezani with bribery

* To be arraigned October 2

Agency report

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-pounds oil and gas contracts, Reuters reported.

Alison-Madueke, 63, was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving as petroleum resources minister from 2010 to 2015.

She also served as president of the Organisation 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.

Alison-Madueke is being probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, since she left office, she has been dogged by corruption allegations but denies the charges.

Credit: Reuters/PUNCH