The United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday revealed that Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum and former President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been slammed fresh charge of bribery offences, which was considered to be committed when she was minister.
The head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, in a statement, indicated: “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.”
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The United Kingdom National Crime Agency (NCA) stated that Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
The charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.
According to Kelly, “Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries.
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“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John’s Wood area of North London since she was first arrested, and undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family.
At the time of her arrest, the NCA said only it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held.
According to the NCA, Alison-Madueke has been on bail since first being arrested in London in October 2015. She will appear in court in the British capital on October 2.
Meanwhile, the family’s lawyer was gathered to have vowed that Diezani Alison-Madueke would strongly contest corruption allegations that have dogged her during and after her time as petroleum minister in Nigeria from 2010 to 2015.