Ere-ebi Agedah
Former Nigerian petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday began her defence at Southwark Crown Court, telling a London jury she neither abused her office nor solicited or accepted bribes, despite facing six counts under the UK Bribery Act.
Testifying for the first time, Alison-Madueke dismissed claims that she received financial benefits from oil businessmen in exchange for preferential treatment, maintaining that any advantages linked to her were either reimbursed or misinterpreted by investigators.
“I did not abuse my office at all. I did not ask, seek or solicit bribes,” she said while being led in evidence by her counsel, Jonathan Laidlaw, setting a combative tone against the prosecution’s case.
Central to her defence, the former minister argued that she had no decisive control over the awarding of oil contracts, describing her position as largely procedural.
“The minister is just a rubber stamp,” she told the court, explaining that contract decisions were handled by committees and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, with her role limited to formal approvals.
She acknowledged using London properties and accepting travel arrangements, including private flights funded by associates, but insisted such expenses were either repaid through official means or managed as logistical support beyond her personal discretion.
Responding to one of the more serious allegations, Alison-Madueke denied any awareness of a purported £100,000 cash delivery to her London residence, stating she only learned of the claim during trial disclosures.
She further advanced a cultural argument, noting that gift-giving and support from associates are common within Nigeria’s political environment, while also citing weak financial oversight within the NNPC’s London office as a factor that led to reliance on third-party arrangements.
