Nigerian Ex-Oil Minister Denies Bribes in London Trial

Former Nigerian Oil Minister Denies Bribes in London Court

LONDON — Diezani Alison-Madueke, the 65-year-old former Nigerian oil minister, appeared in a London court on Monday to deny allegations of taking bribes in exchange for government contracts. Alison-Madueke is accused of benefiting from access to multimillion-pound U.K. homes, private jets, a chauffeur-driven car, and shopping trips, including a £2 million ($2.7 million) spending spree at Harrods, a famed London department store.

Prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke received £100,000 in cash while she was Nigerian minister of petroleum resources from April 2010 to May 2015. They also claim that she went on paid-for shopping sprees in London, spending hundreds of thousands of pounds at an antiques dealer and a Mayfair homewares shop. The former minister had oversight of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. and its subsidiaries, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Co. and the Pipelines Product Marketing Co.

Alison-Madueke denied the allegations, stating that she did not abuse her office during her time in office. She also denied five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. Her brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, 69, denies conspiracy to commit bribery, while Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, an owner of Nigerian oil companies, denies two charges of bribery.

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Comparison of Charges

Alison-Madueke told the court that the logistics and financial dealings of her work trips were handled by the Nigerian National Petroleum Co, and insisted that a string of services arranged for her were subsequently reimbursed.