Ex-Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke Faces UK Bribery Trial
Nigeria’s long running corruption narrative has taken a decisive international turn as the Diezani Alison Madueke faces UK bribery trial formally commenced at London’s Southwark Crown Court. British prosecutors allege that the former petroleum minister leveraged her powerful position between 2011 and 2015 to enrich herself while overseeing major oil and gas deals linked to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Opening arguments described a pattern in which political access was exchanged for personal comfort, luxury living, and financial rewards in the United Kingdom.
Now 65, the former OPEC president faces six criminal charges including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, accusations she has firmly denied. The prosecution maintains that although the oil contracts themselves are not under dispute, the acceptance of lavish benefits amounted to a serious breach of public trust and an abuse of office.
Court filings detailed an extraordinary list of alleged inducements ranging from cash payments of at least one hundred thousand pounds to luxury renovations on a multi million pound London home, private jet travel, chauffeur driven transport, and payment of school fees and designer shopping bills. Prosecutors also named businessman Kolawole Aluko as a central figure who allegedly financed much of this lifestyle, including Harrods purchases running into millions of pounds and the provision of a mansion near London.
The case extends beyond Alison Madueke alone, with oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother Doye Agama also facing charges linked to the alleged scheme. Built on a decade long investigation by the UK National Crime Agency in collaboration with Nigeria’s EFCC, the trial underscores Britain’s resolve to block its financial system from sheltering illicit wealth.
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As proceedings are expected to last into April 2026, the outcome is being closely watched across Nigeria and beyond, where many see it as a symbolic test of global accountability in the fight against high level corruption.