The British Police have arrested former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke and charged her for alleged involvement in bribery offences.
Reuters also reports that the UK police on Tuesday said they suspected that the former Petroleum Resources Minister had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts during her tenure.
It is instructive to note that the 63-year-old Diezani served during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, from 2010 to 2015.
She was also the president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Speaking about the charge, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, Andy Kelly, said, “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.
“Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries.”
The NCA also accused Alison-Madueke 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.
Reuters said 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.
Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John’s Wood area of North London since she was first arrested, and reportedly undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family.
At the time of her arrest, the NCA said it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held.
The NCA further disclosed 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.
