Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged with bribery in the United Kingdom.
She was arrested by the UK’s National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit and would appear in court on October 2, 2023
According to Reuters, the British police said they had charged her with bribery offences, saying they suspected she had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
She served as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015 and also acted as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” said Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
