Former Petrol Minister Alison-Madueke, Appears In London Court Over £100,000 Bribery Allegation
Nigeria’s Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London, United Kingdom, on Monday for the preliminary hearing of her trial over bribery charges.
The case was listed on the cause list for Court 8 before Justice Thornton.
Alison-Madueke attended the preliminary hearing ahead of her full trial, scheduled to commence on January 26, 2026.
In August 2023, the ex-minister was charged by the UK government over an alleged £100,000 bribe. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said they suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts during her tenure in office.
Alison-Madueke served as minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 under the Goodluck Jonathan administration and was elected president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2014.
In October 2023, she was granted bail in the sum of £70,000. The Westminster magistrates court also imposed conditions, deeming her “a flight risk.” These included an 11pm to 6am curfew, wearing an electronic tag at all times, and payment of a £70,000 surety before leaving the court building.
In January 2025, the Nigerian government and United States signed an asset return agreement on $52.88 million recovered from the Galactica assets linked to Alison-Madueke. The US government stated Alison-Madueke and her associates purchased luxury real estate in California and New York, as well as the Galactica Star, a 65-metre superyacht, using “proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also pursued assets linked to the former government official in Nigeria.
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
