The United Kingdom has commenced criminal proceedings against a former Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, having been charged with bribery offences following a National Crime Agency investigation.
Penpushing reports that the National Crime Agency (NCA) suspects that the 63-year-old woman accepted bribes during her time as Minister for Petroleum Resources, in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
The former Minister who also served as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and was a key figure in the Nigerian Government between 2010 and 2015, has been alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Penpushing further reports that the investigations revealed details of her financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.
The Head of the National Crime Agency (NCA), Andy Kelly said the embattled and flambouyant Alison-Madueke, presently resident in St John’s Wood, London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 2 October, 2023
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts. These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation’, he stated.
‘Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat’, Kelly added
Penpushing also reports that it is recalled that assets worth millions of pounds relating to the alleged offences have already been frozen as part of the ongoing investigation, while in March 2023, the National Crime Agency( NCA) also provided evidence to the United States of America(USA) Department of Justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD$53.1m linked to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
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