By Deborah Musa, January 28, 2026
Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison Madueke, on Tuesday denied multiple bribery charges as her trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London, where prosecutors accused her of living a life of luxury funded by illicit payments.
British prosecutors told the court that Alison Madueke, 65, allegedly accepted bribes between 2011 and 2015 while serving as Nigeria’s Minister of petroleum resources under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the prosecution, individuals seeking lucrative oil and gas contracts with Nigeria’s state owned oil company allegedly provided her with significant financial and other advantages in exchange for influence.
“She should not have accepted benefits from those doing extremely lucrative business with government owned entities,” the prosecutor told the court.
