By Ebi Kesiena
The bribery trial of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has commenced in London, marking a significant development in a long-running international corruption investigation.
Proceedings opened on Monday at Southwark Crown Court, with the first substantive hearing holding on Tuesday. UK investigators have described the case as a major milestone in efforts to probe alleged corruption linked to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015 and later became chair of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015, is facing six charges. These include five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, all connected to the award of oil and gas contracts during her tenure in office, according to UK authorities and media reports.
British prosecutors allege that she received at least £100,000 in cash, alongside what they described as “financial or other advantages.” These allegedly include private jet flights, chauffeur-driven vehicles, the use and maintenance of London properties, luxury items, and the payment of school fees for her son.
When the charges were authorised in 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said it suspected Alison-Madueke abused her position by accepting rewards in exchange for influencing the award of “multi-million-pound” oil and gas contracts. The former minister has denied all allegations and has been on bail in the UK since 2023. She has attended several preliminary court hearings, including earlier sessions this month during jury selection.
The trial is expected to last several weeks and could attract severe penalties if she is found guilty. Under the UK Bribery Act, the offences carry a possible sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
The London case is unfolding alongside wider asset recovery efforts linked to alleged corruption in Nigeria’s oil industry. In 2025, the United States and Nigeria announced an agreement to repatriate about $52.88 million in forfeited assets tied to investigations involving Alison-Madueke and her alleged associates, according to the US Department of Justice and the US State Department.
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has previously reported that UK authorities formally charged Alison-Madueke in August 2023 over alleged bribery linked to multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a separate development, Nigerian prosecutors filed money-laundering charges against her in 2017, alleging payments were made to influence election officials ahead of the 2015 general election. The US Justice Department has also recovered more than $53 million in oil proceeds allegedly linked to corruption and laundered through the United States, with additional funds still pending at the time.
