Alleged £100,000 Bribery: UK Court Grants Alison-Madueke £70,000 Bail
A United Kingdom District judge, Michael Snow on Monday, October 2, 2023, granted a £70,000 bail for Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Alison-Madueke was Nigeria’s minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
She appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court over an alleged £100,000 bribe she allegedly offered.
The District Magistrate however, imposed other terms on Alison-Madueke including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
When she appeared at the Westminster Magistrates Court, Alison-Madueke provided her name, date of birth, and address.
Her Attorney, Mark Brown told the court that Alison-Madueke, who did not formally enter a plea, would plead not guilty.
Report by Reuters stated that her next court appearance will be on October 30, 2023 at the Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases.
In August this year, the UK’s National Crime Agency said it suspected Alison-Madueke accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a statement published on its website, the UK’s NCA said Alison-Madueke 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.
According to the NCA; “Her charges 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 jewelry and Louis Vuitton goods.”
Similarly, in March 2023, the NCA further provided evidence to the US Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD 53.1 million linked to Diezan Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly said the charges were a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.
Kelly said; “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,” he said.
In October 2015, Alison-Madueke and four other persons were arrested in the UK over alleged bribery and money laundering offences.
A magistrate court in the UK granted Diezani bail but her passport was seized while she was asked to report at the Charing Cross police station.
