Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged with bribery offences by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA).
According to report posted on the agency’s website, Alison-Madueke, alleged to have accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, said.
“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 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
Recall that Alison-Madueke, 63, 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 said.
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Soon after her arrest, her family’s lawyer told AFP she would strongly contest corruption allegations that have dogged her during and after her time in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.
Alison-Madueke, 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 cartel OPEC.
