Diezani-Madueke charged in UK for Bribery

Former Petroleum Minister, Alison Diezani Madueke has been charged with bribery by the British Police.

The news comes after the police revealed they had charged her for offences relating to the awarding of multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.

The 63-year-old had seen herself become a controversial figure following the expiration of former President Goodluck Jonathan tenure as Nigeria’s President, under which she served as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015.

She also acted as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

In a released statement, the UK Police said;

“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.”

According to the National Crime Agency, Diezani Madueke was accused of profiting from at least £100,000 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 other 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, as revealed by the NCA.

Following her exit from office as Petroleum Minister, Diezani-Madueke has faced countless corruption charges which she has intently denied.

The former minister was first arrested in 2015 but had reportedly underwent chemotherapy for breast cancer as revealed by her family.

The NCA has frozen assets reportedly worth millions of pounds linking her to the corruption charges she is under investigation of.

Five people in connection with international corruption have already being detained including Madueke as stated by the National Crime Agency.

In March, the agency is said to have provided evidence to the US Department of Justice allowing them to recover assets totaling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke’s alleged corruption charges.

The former minister is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2, with Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission making moves to extradite her.