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Ex-OPEC president in UK court ahead of corruption trial – Diezani Alison-Madueke is facing bribery charges while serving as Nigeria’s oil minister

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"109460728"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Diezani<&sol;strong> <strong>Alison-Madueke&comma; 65&comma; who was in office from 2010 to 2015&comma; was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC<&sol;strong> <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-2 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court on Monday&comma; ahead of her full trial on bribery charges relating to her time as Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s oil minister <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>She was formally charged in October 2023&comma; by the UK&&num;8217&semi;s National Crime Agency with offenses of accepting bribes between 2011 to 2015&comma; but she has denied six charges <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The oil minister who currently resides in the UK&comma; fled Nigeria when her party lost power in 2015 <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-5 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Still listed as a fugitive in her home country&comma; she has been out on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015 <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>Alison-Madueke and her two co-correspondents&comma; Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde&comma; all pled not guilty to the eight-count indictment bordering bribery and conspiracy to bribe<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7 wp-block-paragraph" style&equals;"color&colon;&num;1e0404&semi;font-size&colon;14px"><strong>The trial scheduled to begin on Monday&comma; January 26 <&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;01&sol;Diezani-Allison-Madueke-13&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-491987" style&equals;"width&colon;800px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Former Nigerian energy czar and OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke is on trial in a UK court alongside two co-correspondents&comma; facing an eight-count indictment bordering bribery and conspiracy to bribe while serving as her country&&num;8217&semi;s Minister of Petroleum Resources<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">Former OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court on Monday&comma; ahead of her full trial on bribery charges relating to her time as Nigeria&&num;8217&semi;s oil minister&period; <br>Preliminary proceedings&comma; including technical matters and jury selection&comma; began this week&comma; with Alison-Madueke in attendance&period;<br><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2016&sol;02&sol;23&sol;24-bn-non-formalized-contracts-nigerias-former-oil-minister-diezani-alison-madueke-to-appear-before-house-committee&sol;">Alison-Madueke<&sol;a>&comma; who was in office from 2010 to 2015&comma; was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC&period; However&comma; she has not been seen in Nigeria since the end of her ministerial tenure on May 29&comma; 2015&period; On self-exile her current listed address is listed in St John&&num;8217&semi;s Wood&comma; an upscale area of west London&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;01&sol;Diezani-Allison-Madueke-9&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-491967" style&equals;"width&colon;836px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Diezani Alison-Madueke leaves Southwark Crown Court in London&comma; UK&comma; ahead of her full trial for corruption on Monday&period; The trial estitmated to last 10 &&num;8211&semi; 12 weeks begins Jan 26<&sol;strong> <&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to Nigerian sources&comma; her tenure as the country&&num;8217&semi;s energy czar during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan&comma; coincided with over &dollar;28 billion accruing from oil exports being re-directed&comma; other than the nation&&num;8217&semi;s coffers&period;<br>After her party&comma; the People&&num;8217&semi;s Democratic Party &lbrack;PDP&rsqb;&comma; lost the election the 2015 election and before the swearing-in of the incoming government Alison-Madueke left the country for medical checkup in the UK&period; She never came back&period; Subsequently she was accused in absentia with misappropriation of billions of dollars and placed on a wanted list of officials who served in the Jonathan administration&period;<br>The 65-year-old has been on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015&period;<br>On 22 August 2023&comma; She has denied six charges against her&period; She had since relocated to Dominica<br>She was formally charged in 2023 by the UK&&num;8217&semi;s National Crime Agency with offenses of accepting bribes between 2011 to 2015&period; as charged by the UK National Crime Agency &lpar;NCA&rpar; with bribery&period; <br>The offenses follow an investigation by the NCA&comma; which alleges that she accepted bribes in exchange for oil and gas contracts worth millions of dollars while in government&period;<br>According to the agency the oil minister abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding oil and gas contracts&comma; while in government&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;01&sol;Diezani-Allison-Madueke-10&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-491969" style&equals;"width&colon;812px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Alison-Madueke&comma; 65&comma; who was in office from 2010 to 2015&comma; was the first woman oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel&comma; OPEC<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">According to the indictment&comma; Alison-Madueke benefited from at least &dollar;134&comma;000 in cash&comma; chauffeur-driven cars&comma; flights on private jets and the use of multiple London properties&period;<br>In March 2023&comma; the NCA presented proof of her corrupt activities to the US Department of Justice leading to&comma; successful&comma; prosecution of Alison-Madueke and two other persons&comma; Nigerian businessmen <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;2017&sol;07&sol;16&sol;feds-want-to-seize-nigerian-playboy-kola-aluko-runs-into-heavy-us-waters-feds-plan-to-seize-penthouse-80m-yacht&sol;">Kolawole Akanni Aluko<&sol;a> and Olajide Omokore&period;<br>According to court documents&comma; Aluko and Olajide Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to then Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources&comma; Diezani Alison-Madueke&comma; who oversaw Nigeria’s state-owned oil company&period; In return&comma; Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to companies owned in which listed businessmen had interest&period;<br>The proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts totaling more than &dollar;100 million were then laundered in and through the United States and used to purchase various assets through shell companies&comma; including luxury real estate in California and New York as well as the Galactica Star&comma; a 65-meter superyacht&period; <br>The real estate was also used as collateral for loans to Aluko and shell companies he controlled&period; <br>With the conclusion of the cases&comma; the DOJ recovered about &dollar;53&period;1 million in cash&comma; constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets&comma; plus a promissory note with a principal value of &dollar;16 million&period; according to a statement issued by the U&period;S&period; Justice department&period; <br>As part of the forfeiture process&comma; those lien holders for Aluko&&num;8217&semi;s real real estate portfolio were paid off&period;<br>The former energy czar&comma; Omokore and Aluko have also been subjects of criminal trials in Nigeria over related oil industry alleged corruption&period;<br>The amount recovered is of record-breaking feat according to Andy Kelly&comma; the Head of the NCA’s International Corruption Unit&colon; &OpenCurlyQuote;We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts&period; These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation&comma;’ Kelly said&period;<br>The charges also detailed financial rewards including furniture&comma; renovation work and staff for the properties&comma; payment of private school fees and gifts from top designer shops such as Louis Vuitton&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;01&sol;Doye-Agama-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-491979"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Doye Agama&comma; former archbishop of the Apostolic Pastoral Congress&comma; appeared in court via video link on Monday&period; He&&num;8217&semi;s accused of receiving bribes for his church as part of a scheme orchestrated by his sister&comma; Diezani Alison-Madueke<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<figure class&equals;"wp-block-image size-full is-resized"><img src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;konniemoments&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2026&sol;01&sol;Olatimbo-Ayinde-1&period;png" alt&equals;"" class&equals;"wp-image-491982" style&equals;"width&colon;830px&semi;height&colon;auto"&sol;><&sol;figure>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde&comma; the Group CEO of Dutchess Energy who is charged along Alison-Madueke&comma; was present in the dock at Southwark Crown Court in London&comma; UK on Monday<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;&NewLine;<p class&equals;"wp-block-paragraph">The trial scheduled to begin on Monday&comma; January 26 and expected to last 10 to 12 weeks&comma; centers around allegations that Alison-Madueke accepted bribes by using private jets&comma; Chauffeur-driven luxury cars&comma; expensive properties&comma; purchase of luxury goods from Louis Vuitton and Harrods&comma; £100&comma;000 cash&comma; and payment of school fees for her sons&period;<br>Two others are also being prosecuted on bribery charges linked to this case&period; Her sibling Doye Agama&comma; 68&comma; the former archbishop of the Apostolic Pastoral Congress&comma; appeared in court via video link on Monday&period; He is accused of receiving bribes for his church as part of a scheme prosecutors say was orchestrated by his sister&comma; Diezani Alison-Madueke&period;<br>The other co-conspirator&comma; Ms<a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;gazettengr&period;com&sol;exclusive-uk-prosecutors-rage-as-efcc-slowwalks-evidence-transfer-in-multibillion-naira-bribery-trial-of-bola-tinubus-mistress-olatimbo-ayinde&sol;"> Olatimbo Bukola Ayinde<&sol;a>&comma; was present in the dock&period; Ayinde is an oil and gas expert reputed to be a powerful influence-peddler in top government circles&period; She has also been cited in a different case of official corruption playing out in UK courts &&num;8211&semi; bribing Ibe Kachikwu&comma; another former Nigerian petroleum minister&period;<br>The former minister and her two co-correspondents&comma; Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde&comma; all pled not guilty to the eight-count indictment bordering bribery and conspiracy to bribe&period;<br><br><&sol;p>&NewLine;

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