British prosecutors have accused Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources, of accepting bribes in the form of luxury goods and use of high-level properties from industry figures.
The prosecutors on Tuesday appeared before the Southwark
crown court in London, United Kingdom (UK), in continuation of Alison-Madueke’s
trial.
The former minister, along with Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil
executive, and Doye Agama, her brother, is facing trial on a five-count charge
bordering on accepting bribes. They pleaded not guilty.
According to Reuters, Alexandra Healy, a prosecutor, told
the jurors that the former minister “enjoyed a life of luxury in London”, which
was provided by those interested in oil contracts in Nigeria.
Healy said Alison-Madueke was given high-end properties and
luxury goods by people who believed that she would use her influence to favour
them for oil contracts.
The prosecutor said Kolawole Aluko, another Nigerian
businessman, who is named in one charge but is not standing trial, spent more
than two million pounds on items for Alison-Madueke at Harrods, a UK-based
luxury store.
Healy told the jurors that the former minister, alongside
her family, frequently stayed in a mansion outside London bought by Aluko.
The prosecutor said Aluko bought the mansion through a
company for 3.25 million pounds and paid for bills, staff and refurbishments.
Healy told the court that there was no evidence the former
minister awarded contracts to someone who did not deserve them.
The prosecutor said it was improper for her to have accepted
bribes from those doing business with government-owned entities.
Alison-Madueke was minister of petroleum resources from 2010
to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
She was also elected president of the Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2014.
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