A former UK building contractor has told a London court how
his firm renovated and managed luxury property allegedly used by Diezani
Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources, as her
alleged bribery trial continues at the Southwark Crown Court.
Alison-Madueke is currently facing trial alongside Olatimbo
Ayinde, an oil executive; and Doye Agama, her brother; on a five-count charge
bordering on accepting bribes. They pleaded not guilty.
Giving evidence on the fifth day of the trial, Tony Mulcahy,
a former director of Bear Rock Construction Ltd, said the company carried out
extensive refurbishment works between 2011 and 2014 on several high-value
property linked to the ex-minister and her family.
Mulcahy told the court that Bear Rock was hired by Kolawole
Aluko, a businessman, to oversee major renovations at 39 Chester Close, North
London.
Aluko is a petroleum and aviation mogul who was part of a
constellation of Nigerian oil executives, state governors, cabinet ministers,
military officials, and tribal chiefs mentioned in the Panama Papers leak.
According to floor plans tendered before the court, the
property was fitted with a residential lift, which Mulcahy said was installed
because Alison-Madueke’s mother had mobility issues.
He said the top floor of the building was allocated to the
minister’s son and that the renovation cost about £2 million.
Mulcahy also told the court that he had direct dealings with
Alison-Madueke, including meetings at the property where materials such as
stone samples and fabric swatches were reviewed.
Text messages exchanged in early 2014 relating to lighting
choices were shown to the court, with Mulcahy confirming that he had
Alison-Madueke’s personal mobile number.
A significant part of his testimony centred on financial
difficulties allegedly caused by delayed and incomplete payments from Aluko.
Mulcahy described what he called a recurring cycle of
requests for payment followed by assurances that were not met. By December
2013, he said Bear Rock was “on the brink”, which he explained meant “going
under”.
He told the court that after Aluko promised a £200,000
payment that failed to arrive as agreed, the company withheld a large delivery
from Harrods that was being stored, using it as “leverage” to recover the
funds. The £200,000 was paid shortly afterwards.
The witness said the company’s financial challenges
persisted into 2014. In April of that year, he emailed Aluko, warning that
unpaid bills were “ruining us” and asking whether he should contact
Alison-Madueke directly.
According to Mulcahy, Aluko advised him to write a formal
letter to the then minister. He said he personally delivered the letter to her
residence at St Edmund’s Terrace, after which a payment of £270,000 was made
about a week later through Aluko’s company, Atlantic Energy.
Mulcahy also recounted being invited by Aluko to a meeting
at One Hyde Park, one of London’s most expensive addresses.
“It really annoyed me,” he said.
“Here is a man who is owing me money, and he invites me to
meet him at One Hyde Park.”
Emails presented in court suggested that Tenka Limited,
another company linked to Aluko, handled expenses for properties allegedly used
by Alison-Madueke, including staff wages, utility bills and maintenance costs.
One internal email from May 2013 instructed staff to replace
references to “HM” (Honourable Minister) with “Clients” in account records.
Mulcahy told the court that he later sought to recover the
outstanding debts through Donald Amamgbo, whom he was introduced to as a
lawyer.
Despite several meetings, he said Bear Rock Construction
eventually went into voluntary liquidation.
EARLIER PROCEEDINGS
In previous proceedings, British prosecutors detailed to the
court how the ex-government official spent £140,000 on luxury furniture and
decorative art in a single day.
During the court proceedings on January 27, prosecutors told
the court that Alison-Madueke accepted bribes in the form of luxury goods and
use of high-level properties from industry figures.
Alexandra Healy, a prosecutor, had told the jurors that the
defendant “enjoyed a life of luxury in London”, which was provided by those
interested in oil contracts in Nigeria.
On January 29, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to Alison-Madueke,
told the court that his client had no real influence on award of oil contracts
during her stint in office.
Laidlaw had said Alison-Madueke was just a “rubber stamp”
for official recommendation.
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