Former Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has made an appearance at the Southwark Crown Court in London for a preliminary hearing in her ongoing bribery case.
The matter came up on Monday before Justice Thornton in Court 8, marking an early procedural step ahead of the substantive trial, which is slated to begin on January 26, 2026.
British authorities first brought charges against Alison-Madueke in August 2023, accusing her of accepting a £100,000 bribe while in public office. The UK National Crime Agency (NCA) has alleged that the former minister received illicit payments in exchange for awarding oil and gas contracts worth millions of pounds.
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
In 2014, she also made history as the first female president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
In October 2023, a Westminster magistrates’ court granted her bail in the sum of £70,000 but imposed strict conditions after describing her as “a flight risk”. These included an electronic monitoring tag, a nightly curfew from 11pm to 6am, and the payment of a £70,000 surety before she was allowed to leave the court premises.
Beyond the UK proceedings, Alison-Madueke remains entangled in asset recovery actions linked to alleged corruption.
In January 2025, Nigeria and the United States finalised an agreement for the return of $52.88 million recovered from the so-called Galactica assets associated with her.
The US government has said Alison-Madueke and her associates used “proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts” to acquire high-end properties in California and New York, as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-metre luxury superyacht.
In Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has also pursued the seizure of assets allegedly connected to the former minister.
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