Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, will appear in court in the British capital on October 2 after being charged with bribery offences relating to her time in office, the UK National Crime Agency said on Tuesday.
Alison-Madueke has been released on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015.
Soon after her arrest, her family’s lawyer informed reporters that she would vigorously defend herself against the corruption allegations that have hounded her throughout and after her tenure in former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
She has been linked to a string of money laundering, bribery and asset recovery cases in Nigeria, as well as in Italy and the United States.
In a newspaper interview in November 2015, she was quoted as saying, “I challenge anyone to come forward with facts showing that I stole government or public money.
“I’ve never stolen Nigeria’s money.”
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 cartel, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The head of the NCA’s 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.”
The NCA said 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 jewellery 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 added.