Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been indicted on charges of bribery in the United Kingdom.
According to Reuters, British authorities have charged her with bribery offenses, suspecting her involvement in receiving bribes in exchange for granting lucrative oil and gas contracts.
Alison-Madueke, 63, held a prominent role during the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan, serving as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015.
She assumed the presidency of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in 2014.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” said Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
The NCA said Alison-Madueke was accused of benefitting from at least 100,000 pounds in cash, chauffeur driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Charges against her also detail 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 NCA said.
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Since she left office she has been dogged by corruption allegations but denied the charges.
British police said she was currently living in St John’s Wood, an upmarket area of west London.
She was first arrested in 2015, but underwent 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.
The NCA said that assets worth millions of pounds in relation to the case have been frozen as part of the investigation.
In March, the agency, which targets international and organised crime, provided evidence to the US Department of Justice allowing them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption.
Diezani Alison-Madueke is set to make an appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had made multiple attempts to extradite her, but these efforts were thwarted.
