Diezani Alison-Madueke rejects bribery claims, insists UK expenses were work-related

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has told a London court that she neither solicited nor received bribes during her time in office, insisting that all expenses incurred on her behalf were official costs covered or reimbursed by the Nigerian government.

Testifying on Monday at the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, Alison-Madueke maintained that payments made for her accommodation, travel, and other logistics in the UK were strictly tied to her official duties and not personal enrichment.

“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,” she said. “I always sought to act impartially.”

Prosecutors, according to BBC reporting, alleged that Nigerian businessmen financed luxury spending linked to the former minister, including over £2 million at Harrods and about £4.6 million used for the refurbishment of properties in London and Buckinghamshire. They also referenced her access to multiple high-end residences, including properties in Marylebone and near Regent’s Park.

However, Alison-Madueke rejected the allegations, telling the court that such arrangements were part of official administrative support for her ministerial responsibilities.

She said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) reimbursed relevant costs and that a London-based service firm was engaged to manage travel and accommodation due to operational inefficiencies at the time.

“They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs… to allow me to perform the job that I did,” she told the court.

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The court also heard details of her stays in various UK properties. Alison-Madueke said she spent five days at a Gerrards Cross residence during Christmas 2011 with her family because her former husband required medical treatment and could not travel back to Nigeria.

She also described a separate two-week stay at the same location, during which she said she worked with officials on a publication highlighting government support for women.

“I took it upon myself to put together that book to showcase what he did for women,” she said.

On other properties mentioned by prosecutors, she stated that one residence near Regent’s Park was used for discreet official meetings, while another property linked to her was, according to her, in a dilapidated condition when she first saw it.

The court further heard that she and her mother stayed in apartments in St John’s Wood, with rent allegedly covered by oil executive Kolawole Aluko. Alison-Madueke told the court this arrangement was more cost-effective than luxury hotel accommodation in London.

She also denied any involvement in an alleged £100,000 cash delivery said to have been made by a chauffeur, insisting the claim had “nothing to do with” her.

The former minister also spoke about security concerns during her tenure, describing Nigeria as a “very patriarchal society” and claiming she faced “dire threats of kidnap,” with some family members affected by abductions.

Diezani Alison-Madueke, who made history in 2015 as the first female President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is currently facing five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery—charges she denies.

She is standing trial alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother Doye Agama, all of whom have pleaded not guilty.