Former Nigerian Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke denies bribery and corruption charges in UK court
via Punch Nigeria19 hours ago2 min read
Diezani Alison-Madueke, former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, denied allegations of benefiting from corruption proceeds in the UK in exchange for awarding government contracts. Appearing at Southwark Crown Court, the 65-year-old stated she had "tried to push back on corruption" in Nigeria. Prosecutors allege Nigerian businessmen funded lavish spending on her behalf, including over £2 million at Harrods and £4.6 million on property refurbishments. Alison-Madueke countered that expenses incurred during official engagements were reimbursed by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC. She asserted, "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 explained that a London service company managed logistics due to the NNPC's "disorganised financial structure," covering hotels and chauffeurs. Alison-Madueke also claimed unawareness of a chauffeur allegedly delivering £100,000 in cash, insisting it was unrelated to her. She detailed her rapid rise at Shell, becoming the first female senior executive in its Nigerian operations, despite initial reluctance due to the company's treatment of her father. She also criticized Shell's handling of oil spills in the Niger Delta. Alison-Madueke described Nigeria as a "very patriarchal society" and mentioned facing security threats, including kidnapping risks. She denied five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Oil ex
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Original source
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
