A London court has heard that more than £2 million was allegedly spent at luxury department store Harrods on behalf of a former Nigerian oil minister accused of accepting bribes from business figures seeking government contracts.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, is accused of living an extravagant lifestyle in the United Kingdom, funded by individuals linked to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Prosecutors told Southwark Crown Court that the former minister allegedly enjoyed access to multimillion-pound properties, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet travel, and large cash payments, including £100,000 in cash. She is also accused of benefiting from about £4.6 million spent on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire.
Alison-Madueke has pleaded not guilty to five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The court was told that more than £2 million was spent at Harrods using payment cards belonging to Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko and his company, Tenka Limited. Jurors heard that Alison-Madueke had a personal shopper at Harrods, a service reserved for Black Tier members of the store’s rewards programme, typically customers who spend over £10,000 annually.
Prosecutors said she spent extended periods in the UK, where she was allegedly provided with domestic staff including a housekeeper, nanny, gardener, and window cleaner. The salaries and running costs, the court heard, were paid by owners of energy companies that held lucrative contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, or were seeking to secure or retain such contracts.
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“This case concerns bribery in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector between 2011 and 2015,” prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC told the court. She said companies seeking advantages in contract awards allegedly provided Alison-Madueke with substantial financial and other benefits.
Healy acknowledged that the case may appear unusual given that it is being tried in the UK. However, she argued that corruption distorts global markets and that there is a strong public interest in ensuring that activities in one country do not enable corruption in another.
Jurors were shown photographs of a property known as The Falls in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, purchased in 2010 by Nigerian businessman Olajide Omokore of Atlantic Energy. The court heard that Alison-Madueke used the property several times from late 2011, supported by staff including a chef and a driver. About £300,000 in refurbishment costs were allegedly paid by Tenka Limited.
The trial also involves oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, both of whom deny the charges against them. The proceedings are expected to last around 12 weeks.
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan. She was also the first woman to serve as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, a role she assumed in 2014.