A London criminal court has been told that Nigerian former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke benefited from more than £2 million worth of luxury spending at the high-end Harrods department store as part of a bribery and corruption trial currently before Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom. The evidence was presented to jurors by the prosecution during the ongoing trial.
Ms Alison-Madueke, 65, served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under then-President Goodluck Jonathan and also held a term as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). She is charged with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery relating to conduct alleged to have taken place between 2011 and 2015.
Prosecutors told the court that on behalf of Ms Alison-Madueke, more than £2 million was spent at Harrods using bank and company cards provided by a Nigerian businessman identified as Kolawole Aluko, and through payments from his company, Tenka Limited. The court was told Ms Alison-Madueke had access to a personal shopper at the store, a service normally available only to high-spending accounts.
Court testimony also described a lifestyle in the United Kingdom that included the use of chauffeur-driven cars and high-end properties, with salaries and running costs paid by entities with business interests in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. Photographs shown to jurors included a Buckinghamshire property alleged to have been made available to Ms Alison-Madueke, which included luxury amenities such as a cinema room, and where staff were provided for her use.
The prosecution’s case, as outlined by Alexandra Healy KC, asserts that those with interests in securing or maintaining lucrative contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned energy companies provided significant financial and other advantages to Ms Alison-Madueke in the hope that she would exercise her influence on their behalf. The trial is being conducted in the UK because parts of the alleged conduct occurred on British soil and because proceeds and benefits surfaced in the UK’s financial and property markets.
Ms Alison-Madueke has denied all charges against her, including the bribery counts. Also standing trial are Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil industry executive accused of bribery related to Ms Alison-Madueke, and her brother Doye Agama, charged with conspiracy to commit bribery. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.