Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian minister of petroleum resources, has been charged with bribery offences by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) in connection with a $1.3 billion oil deal. She is accused of accepting bribes from oil companies to secure contracts for the exploration of oil blocks in Nigeria.
Alison-Madueke, who served as the oil minister from 2010 to 2015, was arrested in London in 2015 along with four other people as part of an international investigation into corruption and money laundering. She has denied any wrongdoing and has been living in the UK since then.
The NCA said that Alison-Madueke and her co-defendants will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 5, 2023, to face the charges. The agency also said that it is working closely with the Nigerian authorities and other international partners to bring the case to a conclusion.
Alison-Madueke is also facing several charges of corruption and money laundering in Nigeria, where she is accused of embezzling billions of dollars from the state-owned oil company, NNPC. She has challenged the jurisdiction of the Nigerian courts to try her and has sought to have the charges dismissed.
The oil deal at the centre of the bribery allegations involves Shell, Eni and several Nigerian businessmen, who allegedly paid $1.3 billion to secure the rights to a lucrative offshore oil block, OPL 245, in 2011. The deal is also being investigated by authorities in Italy, where some of the defendants have been convicted of corruption. Shell and Eni have denied any wrongdoing and have said that they acted in accordance with Nigerian law.
Truly is a pity, crimes people commit for money