National Telescope national telescope newspaper
Olatunde Oluwasola
Former OPEC President, Diezani Alison-Madueke is facing bribery charges related to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister, according to the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday.
Alison-Madueke, 63, was first arrested in London in October 2015 and has been on bail since then.
She is scheduled to appear in a London court on October 2, as announced by the NCA.
In response to her arrest, her family’s lawyer informed AFP and said, “she would vigorously contest the corruption allegations that have followed her from her time in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
Having held office from 2010 to 2015, she was the pioneer female oil minister in Nigeria and also the first woman to lead the global oil cartel OPEC.”
Andy Kelly, the head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, stated, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.”
According to the NCA, “Alison-Madueke allegedly received benefits such as £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, lavish family vacations, and the usage of multiple properties in London.
“The charges also outline various other perks including furniture, property renovations, staffing for her residences, payment of private school fees, as well as gifts from renowned designer stores including Cartier and Louis Vuitton.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
“Since her initial arrest, she has resided in London’s affluent St John’s Wood area and has undergone breast cancer treatment, according to her family.
“At the time of her arrest, only it had detained five individuals in London in connection with international corruption suspicions, without divulging their identities.
“The Nigerian government under Muhammadu Buhari, who succeeded former President Jonathan, later confirmed her arrest and declared cooperation with British law enforcement agencies.
“Buhari, a former Army General, launched an anti-corruption campaign upon taking office.
“Assets worth millions of pounds tied to the case have been frozen as part of the investigation.
“In March, the agency shared evidence with the US Department of Justice, leading to the recovery of assets totaling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.”
