I never took bribes…. NNPC funded my London lifestyle – Diezani tells UK court

Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, says she did not solicit or receive bribes, insisting that expenses incurred during her time in office were official and reimbursed by the Nigerian government.

Testifying on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, Alison-Madueke said payments made on her behalf in the United Kingdom (UK) were tied to her official duties and not personal benefits.

“I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort from these persons and did not abuse my office,” she said, adding, “I always sought to act impartially.”

According to a BBC report, prosecutors alleged that Nigerian businessmen funded a series of luxury expenses for the former minister, including more than £2 million spent at Harrods and about £4.6 million used to refurbish properties in London and Buckinghamshire.

They also claimed she had access to multiple high-end homes, including properties in Marylebone and multi-million-pound homes overlooking Regent’s Park.

But Alison-Madueke told the court that such arrangements were part of official logistics.

She said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) reimbursed the costs, noting that a London-based service company was set up to manage travel and accommodation due to inefficiencies within the organisation.

“They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs… to allow me to perform the job that I did,” she said.

The court heard that the former minister spent five days at a property in Gerrards Cross during Christmas in 2011 with her family because her ex-husband required medical care and could not return to Nigeria.

Alison-Madueke also described a separate two-week stay at the same location, where, according to her, she worked with a group of officials on a book highlighting the Nigerian president’s support for women.

“I took it upon myself to put together that book to showcase what he did for women,” she said.

Responding to claims about other properties, Alison-Madueke said one residence near Regent’s Park was used for “discrete” official meetings, while another linked to her was “completely gutted” and unusable when she saw it.

The court also heard that she and her mother stayed in apartments in St John’s Wood, with rent allegedly paid by Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko.

The former minister said the arrangement was cheaper than staying in high-end hotels like Savoy and Dorchester, which cost about £2,000 a night.

She further denied any knowledge of a £100,000 cash delivery reportedly made by one of her chauffeurs, telling the court that the money had “nothing to do with” her.

Alison-Madueke also spoke about the pressures she faced while in office, describing Nigeria as a “very patriarchal society”, saying she was under “dire threats of kidnap”, with some of her family members seized.

The former minister who became the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2015 is facing five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, all of which she has denied.

Alison-Madueke is standing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and Doye Agama, her brother, on a five-count charge bordering on accepting bribes. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.(TheCable)