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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in the United Kingdom on Monday, over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
The district judge, Michael Snow, granted Alison-Madueke a £70,000 bail, Reuters reports.
Snow further imposed other terms on Alison-Madueke, including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, an electronic tag to be worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
During her appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court, she provided her name, date of birth, and address.
Although she did not formally enter a plea, her attorney, Mark Bowen, informed the court that she would plead not guilty.
Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.
Recall that UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had disclosed that it suspected Alison-Madueke accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts
In a statement published on its website, NCA said Diezani “is alleged to have benefitted 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.
“Her charges 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.”
In March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the Department of Justice in the United States that enabled them to recover assets totalling $53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.
Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, said the “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. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat.”
In October 2015, Diezani and four other persons were arrested in the UK over alleged bribery and money laundering offences.
A magistrate court in the UK granted Diezani bail but her passport was seized while she was asked to report at the Charing Cross police station.
Diezani was the Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Shortly before Jonathan handed over to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, she left the country.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged that the former minister stole $2.5 billion from the Nigerian government while serving as minister.
