Police in the UK have charged Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery

On October 2, she will show up in court in the British capital, according to the UK National Crime Agency.

The United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Tuesday that Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), had been charged with bribery crimes pertaining to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister.

When Alison-Madueke, 63, was first detained in London in October 2015, she was released on bail. On October 2, she will show up in court in the British capital, according to the NCA.

Her family’s attorney said AFP shortly after her detention that she would vehemently refute the corruption accusations that have followed her both during and after her stint in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

From 2010 to 2015, Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s first female oil minister and the first female leader of the world’s largest oil cartel, OPEC.

In a statement, Andy Kelly, the head of the NCA’s international corruption team, said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts.”

According to the NCA, Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars, private jet travel, opulent vacations for her family, and the use of numerous houses in London.

The charges also list financial perks including furnishings, personnel for property renovations, payment for private school tuition, and gifts from high-end luxury stores like Louis Vuitton products and Cartier jewels.

According to Kelly, “bribery is a pervasive form of corruption that fosters serious criminality and can have disastrous effects on developing countries.”

He continued, “These charges are a turning point in what has been a comprehensive and challenging international investigation.”

Since her initial arrest, Alison-Madueke has resided in the affluent neighbourhood of St. John’s Wood in north London, where she has also had chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family.

When she was arrested, the NCA stated anonymously that it had only detained five persons in London on suspicion of participating in international corruption.

Alison-Madueke’s detention was later confirmed by Nigeria’s administration under Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan’s successor, which also stated that its law enforcement agencies were working with their British counterparts.

After becoming power, former Army General Buhari launched an anti-corruption campaign.

Millions of pounds’ worth of assets connected to the case, according to the NCA, have been frozen as part of the inquiry.

Targeting transnational and organised crime, the CIA in March gave the US Department of Justice information that enabled them to collect $53.1 million in assets related to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.

AFP