UK police charge ex-Nigerian minister Alison-Madueke with bribery

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been charged with bribery offences by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA).

According to the information posted on the agency’s website, Alison-Madueke, alleged to have accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts,” Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, said. “These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”

Alison-Madueke was a key figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The 63-year-old, who once acted as President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015.