Former OPEC president and ex-Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke appeared in a London court on Monday as preliminary proceedings began ahead of her full trial on bribery charges relating to her time as Nigeria’s oil minister.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 and was the first woman to lead the global oil cartel OPEC, attended the session where technical matters and jury selection were addressed in preparation for the trial.
The 65-year-old has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015 and has denied the six charges brought against her by the UK’s National Crime Agency, which formally charged her in 2023 with offences of accepting bribes between 2011 and 2015.
According to the indictment, Alison-Madueke allegedly benefitted from financial rewards including cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, and the use of multiple London properties, as well as other perks such as furniture, property renovations, payment of private school fees and luxury designer gifts.
The full trial is scheduled to begin on January 26 and is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks, with two other individuals also being prosecuted on related bribery charges; one appeared via video link while another was present in the dock.
