- Benefits obtained include cash, chauffeured cars, private jet flights, luxury holidays, and use of London properties
- Additional perks listed: furniture, property renovations, staffing arrangements, private school fees, and gifts from high-end stores
- Alison-Madueke is scheduled to appear in court on October 2nd; assets worth millions frozen as part of the ongoing investigation
A former Nigerian minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, aged 63, and previously the president of OPEC, has been formally charged with bribery offenses following an investigation by the National Crime Agency.
She held a prominent role in the Nigerian government from 2010 to 2015. The investigation suggests that during her tenure as Minister for Petroleum Resources, she allegedly accepted bribes in exchange for granting significant oil and gas contracts worth millions of pounds.
Allegedly, she gained benefits including over £100,000 in cash, chauffeured cars, private jet flights, extravagant family holidays, and the use of multiple properties in London.
The charges also outline additional perks such as furniture, property renovations, staffing arrangements, private school fees, and high-end gifts from luxury stores like Cartier and Louis Vuitton. Diezani Alison-Madueke, currently residing in St John’s Wood, London, is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on October 2nd. Andy Kelly, who leads the NCA’s International Corruption Unit, has expressed suspicions that she misused her authority in Nigeria for personal gain through the awarding of lucrative contracts.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”
Assets worth millions of pounds relating to the alleged offences have already been frozen as part of the ongoing investigation.
In March this year, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD$53.1m linked to Diezani Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
ICU officers have also worked closely with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria during the investigation, as well as the with the NCA-hosted International Anti-Corruption Coordination Centre.
The IACCC brings together specialist anti-corruption investigators from agencies around the world to tackle allegations of corruption involving politically exposed people. It is currently working in 37 different jurisdictions.
Andrew Penhale, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the NCA to charge Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offences.
“The CPS made the decision to authorise the charge after reviewing a file of evidence from the NCA relating to allegations of bribery in Nigeria.
“Criminal proceedings against Ms Alison-Madueke are active and she has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
“The function of the CPS is not to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.”