‘I’m Loyal Like A Dog’ – Suspected Money Launderer Kola Aluko’s Message To Diezani-Alison Madueke Played At London Corruption Trial

The corruption trial at Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, took a dramatic turn this week, revealing the intimate details of a relationship between former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and suspected money launderer and billionaire businessman Kola Aluko that prosecutors say extended well beyond professional oil dealings.

Central to the case are a series of audio recordings found on a Samsung phone belonging to the defendant, Alison-Madueke, which purportedly capture emotional and romantic exchanges with billionaire businessman Kola Aluko.

A Bond ‘Loyal Like a Dog’

Evidence presented in court suggests a deep, romantic connection between the two, marked by intense intimacy and mutual protection.

In one recording, Aluko is heard attempting to reassure the defendant of his commitment, describing himself as being “loyal like a dog”.

The statement reportedly came after the defendant felt betrayed by leaks within their inner circle.

The ‘Playboy’ Lecture

A May 2014 recording, referred to in court as the “Playboy Lecture,” captured the defendant berating Aluko for his public extravagance.

Speaking with sharp concern for their shared future, she told him, “As far as everybody’s concerned, you’re a playboy.”

She also criticised his appearances with supermodels like Naomi Campbell, warning that such “parading” could attract the attention of “intelligencer”, a reference prosecutors suggest meant intelligence agencies monitoring their dealings.

The Yacht Dispute

The defendant also questioned Aluko’s high-profile purchase of the $80 million Galactica Star yacht. She reportedly advised him to lease rather than buy, arguing it would help keep their financial dealings more discreet.

The intensity of the duo’s bond was perhaps most starkly revealed in a viral recording where the defendant issued a chilling ultimatum, saying, “I will be happy to escort all of you to jail along with myself… let us see who survives, me or you.”

Prosecutors contend this was not merely a threat between business partners, but a “suicide pact” between two people whose lives and hearts had become dangerously intertwined within a billion-dollar web of corruption.

While Alison-Madueke denies all charges of bribery, the court continues to scrutinise whether these recordings demonstrate a romantic conspiracy that fuelled one of Africa’s largest financial scandals.

Alison-Madueke, a former President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), is currently standing trial at Southwark Crown Court on five counts of accepting bribes and an additional count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

She has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke, alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, an ally of President Bola Tinubu, and her brother, 69-year-old Doye Agama, are facing bribery charges connected to the same case.

The 65-year-old former minister served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Background

SaharaReporters previously reported that in 2017, prosecutors from the U.S. Justice Department’s kleptocracy unit filed a case in Houston seeking to seize nearly $145 million in assets, including the 215-foot, $80 million yacht Galactica Star, a $50 million apartment on New York’s Billionaire’s Row, and multiple homes in California, alleging they were purchased using embezzled funds for the benefit of Alison-Madueke.

In March 2023, the US Department of Justice announced the final resolution of two civil cases seeking the forfeiture of the luxury assets that were laundered in and through the country in a case involving Alison-Madueke and her associates.

Her associates named in the forfeiture case include Aluko and Jide Omokore, the Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited.

The U.S. Justice department said this in a statement on its website.

It said it recovered roughly $53.1 million in cash, constituting the net liquidated value of the defendant’s assets, plus a promissory note with a principal value of $16 million.

According to court papers, from 2011 to 2015, businessmen Aluko and Omokore conspired with others to pay bribes to Diezani who at the time oversaw the nation’s state-owned oil company.

In return, Diezani used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to companies owned by Aluko and Omokore.

“In return, Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to companies owned by Aluko and Omokore,” the department’s statement read.

“The proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts totaling more than $100 million were then laundered in and through the United States and used to purchase various assets through shell companies, including luxury real estate in California and New York as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-meter superyacht.”

“The real estate was also used as collateral for loans to Aluko and shell companies he controlled. As part of the forfeiture process, those lien holders were paid,” it added. “The real estate was also used as collateral for loans to Aluko and shell companies he controlled. As part of the forfeiture process, those lien holders were paid.”

Aluko, a close associate of Alison-Madueke, has long stood at the center of international corruption investigations.

In 2015, British authorities sought his arrest through Switzerland as part of a money laundering probe linked to Nigeria’s oil revenues.

By 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice filed civil forfeiture proceedings, alleging that Aluko and fellow oil magnate Omokore conspired to bribe Alison-Madueke.

Prosecutors claimed the pair used proceeds from questionable oil contracts to purchase multimillion-dollar properties in London, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as luxury cars and yachts.

Nigerian authorities also indicted Aluko in 2017 in connection with a multi-million-naira oil fraud case, accusing him of benefiting from Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts’ controversial oil deals.

Despite these indictments and asset seizures, Aluko has never been criminally convicted. His name, however, continues to surface in corruption trials, including the ongoing London proceedings against Alison-Madueke, where witnesses describe him as a key player in cash deliveries and lavish spending.(SaharaReporters)