UK Police Charge Diezani Alison-Madueke With Bribery Allegation
The United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA), on Tuesday charged former Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015, Diezani Alison-Madueke, with bribery offences, relating to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister.
Alison-Madueke, 63, who has been on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015 is expected to appear in court in the British capital on October 2, 2023, the NCA said.
Soon after her arrest, her family’s lawyer told Agence France Presse (AFP) that she would strongly contest corruption allegations that had dogged her during and after her time in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
However, the head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, in a statement said; “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.”
The NCA said Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London property.
The charges also detailed financial rewards, including furniture, renovation work and staff for the property, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation,” Kelly said.
Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John’s Wood area of north London since she was first arrested, and undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family.
At the time of her arrest, the NCA said it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held.
The NCA statement further said that assets worth millions of pounds in relation to the case have been frozen as part of the investigation.
In March, the agency, which targets international and organised crime, provided evidence to the US Department of Justice allowing them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
Credit: AFP
