UK charges former Nigerian OPEC chief Alison-Madueke over corruption

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Aug 2023 19:55
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The UK says Alison-Madueke is suspected of abusing her power in Nigeria and accepting financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.

Former OPEC President Diezani Alison-Madueke (AFP)

The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed on Tuesday that former OPEC President Diezani Alison-Madueke has been charged with bribery offenses relating to her time as Nigeria's Oil Minister.

Alison-Madueke has been on bail since first being arrested in London in October 2015. She will appear in court in the British capital on October 2, the NCA mentioned.

Alison-Madueke, who was in office from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman to be oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil organization OPEC.

"We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts," the head of the NCA's international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, pointed out.

The NCA indicated that Alison-Madueke allegedly benefitted from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.

The charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Cartier jewelry and Louis Vuitton goods.

"Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries," Kelly said.

"These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation," he highlighted.

According to her family, Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John's Wood area of north London since she was first arrested.

At the time of her arrest, the NCA said only that it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held.

The Nigerian government of then-President Muhammadu Buhari later confirmed Alison-Madueke's arrest and said its law enforcement agencies were cooperating with their British counterparts.

The NCA said assets worth millions of pounds in relation to the case have been frozen as part of the long-running investigation.

Earlier this year, the UK agency, which targets international and serious and organized crime, said it provided evidence to US prosecutors allowing them to recover assets totaling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke's alleged corruption.

They included luxury real estate in California and New York, as well as a 65-meter superyacht, the Galactica Star, the US Department of Justice confirmed on March 27.