Ex-Nigerian oil minister denies taking bribes
Ex-Nigerian oil minister denies taking bribes
A former Nigerian oil minister, accused of receiving opulent accommodations and extravagant expenditures in the UK in exchange for awarding government contracts, has refuted allegations of requesting or accepting bribes. Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, testified at Southwark Crown Court on Monday that she had “tried to push back on corruption” in a country plagued by it since its days as a British colony.
“I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort from these persons and did not abuse my office,” Alison-Madueke told the court. “I always sought to act impartially.”
The prosecution’s argument hinges on claims that Alison-Madueke was provided with a “magnificent” residence in Buckinghamshire, a £2.8 million property in Marylebone, and upscale homes near Regent’s Park, with renovations reportedly totaling £4.6 million. She claimed the expenses incurred during her official visits were later reimbursed by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), noting a London-based agency was established to manage logistics due to the NNPC’s financial disarray.
During Christmas 2011, she and her family spent five days at a Gerrards Cross property in Buckinghamshire, as her ex-husband needed medical care and couldn’t return to Nigeria. Another visit spanned two weeks, during which she and approximately ten to twelve officials co-authored a work highlighting the president’s support for women’s advancement.
She described a Regent’s Park-facing property as a venue for confidential meetings, contrasting it with another property she is accused of utilizing, which she claimed was entirely renovated and rendered uninhabitable upon inspection. The court was informed that Alison-Madueke and her mother occupied two St John’s Wood apartments, with rent subsidized by businessman Kolawole Aluko. Aluko is among multiple Nigerian entrepreneurs implicated in the case but not facing trial.
Alison-Madueke explained that during her tenure at Shell, the company faced significant challenges in managing oil spills in the Niger Delta region, where her family resided. She maintained that Shell hadn’t adequately addressed the environmental damage they had inflicted. She also mentioned being subjected to severe kidnapping threats, with family members reportedly detained at some point.
She stated that the costs were covered by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), while noting a London-based agency was established to manage logistics due to the NNPC’s financial disarray. “They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs… to allow me to perform the job that I did,” she said.
The court also covered her 2015 election as the first female leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), an organization comprising oil-exporting nations that determines global crude oil output levels. Alison-Madueke faces five bribery charges and a conspiracy accusation, though she insists on her innocence. Meanwhile, oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, is also being tried, denying one count of bribery and another of bribing a foreign public official.