Proceedings resumed on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London in the corruption and bribery trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Prosecutors presented detailed evidence of what they described as an extravagant spending pattern at a luxury antiques store in the British capital.
The court was told that up to £140,000 was allegedly spent in a single day on high-end furniture, bespoke lighting and decorative artworks, with payments said to have been made through intermediaries during her time in office.
The public gallery was filled with supporters from the Ijaw community, some of whom travelled from abroad to attend the hearing.
Alison-Madueke has denied multiple charges relating to alleged misconduct while overseeing Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. However, prosecutors alleged that she received cash and luxury benefits in exchange for exercising influence over energy contracts.
The case is being closely watched, with observers noting its wider implications for accountability within the global energy industry.
In a related development, lawyers for Alison-Madueke, the first woman to serve as President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), formally denied the bribery allegations during an earlier court session. The 65-year-old, who has been on bail in the UK since her arrest in October 2015, is accused of offences allegedly committed between 2011 and 2015 while she was Nigeria’s oil minister.
Prosecutors previously claimed she enjoyed a “life of luxury” funded by individuals seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state-owned petroleum corporation.
Her defence counsel, Jonathan Laidlaw, told the jury that delays in bringing the charges had denied her access to material that could have supported her defence. He added that Alison-Madueke had been unable to return to Nigeria to prepare her case, noting that her passport had been held by British authorities for more than a decade.
Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting financial and other advantages from individuals linked to Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups, which allegedly secured contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries.
Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges connected to the case. All three have pleaded not guilty.
