Nigeria’s former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has denied receiving bribes or benefiting from corrupt payments, telling a London court she sought to resist entrenched corruption during her time in office.
Appearing at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, the 65-year-old rejected claims by prosecutors that she accepted lavish benefits from businessmen in exchange for awarding government contracts.
The prosecution alleges that associates spent heavily on her behalf, including more than £2m at Harrods and £4.6m on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire. Alison-Madueke told the court that such expenses, incurred during official duties, were later reimbursed.
“I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort,” she said, according to court proceedings, adding that she had always acted impartially.
She argued that logistical arrangements for her official engagements were handled through a London-based service company, which covered travel, accommodation and transport costs. These, she said, were subsequently refunded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company.
Alison-Madueke also denied knowledge of an alleged £100,000 cash delivery by a chauffeur, insisting the money had no connection to her.
The court heard that she rose through the ranks of Shell to become the first female senior executive in its Nigerian operations, despite early reservations about joining the firm due to her family’s history with the company.
She told the court her father, a former employee and traditional leader, had challenged Shell in court over what she described as discriminatory practices, and criticised the company’s environmental record in the Niger Delta, accusing it of failing to adequately address oil spill damage.
Alison-Madueke also spoke of the personal risks she faced in office, describing Nigeria as a “very patriarchal society” and recounting security threats, including kidnappings involving members of her family.
She denies five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Also standing trial is Olatimbo Ayinde, who has denied charges of bribery and of bribing a foreign public official. Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, 69, has also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.
The case, one of the most high-profile corruption trials involving a former Nigerian official in the UK, is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
