British prosecutors told jurors at Southwark Crown Court in London that former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, allegedly spent more than £2 million at luxury department store Harrods using funds said to have been provided by oil executives who benefited from lucrative contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, as the high-profile bribery trial opened with Alison-Madueke entering a plea of not guilty to all charges and the court outlining the scope of the allegations said to have taken place between 2011 and 2015 while she served under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to the prosecution, the spending at Harrods formed part of a wider pattern of benefits allegedly extended to Alison-Madueke by individuals and companies with interests in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, with jurors told that these benefits were not isolated acts of generosity but inducements allegedly linked to favorable treatment in the award and retention of oil and gas contracts under her supervision as minister of petroleum resources.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC told the court that the case centered on alleged bribery connected to the oil industry in Nigeria and emphasized what she described as a strong public interest in ensuring that conduct within the United Kingdom did not facilitate or further corruption tied to another country, framing the case as one with implications beyond the individuals in the dock and into questions of international accountability and governance.
Jurors were told that energy company founders who were awarded significant contracts by the Nigerian state oil company allegedly paid the running costs of Alison-Madueke’s residence in the United Kingdom and covered the wages of her domestic staff, including a housekeeper, nanny, gardener, and window cleaner, with the prosecution alleging that these payments were made through company accounts linked to oil businessmen who had commercial interests before Nigeria’s petroleum authorities.
The court heard that Alison-Madueke allegedly enjoyed access to Harrods’ personal shopper service, a privilege said to be reserved for high-spending Black Tier Rewards members who spend more than £10,000 annually, with prosecutors claiming that more than £2 million was spent on her behalf at the Brompton Road store using payment cards allegedly linked to Nigerian oil magnate Kolawole Aluko and the debit card of his company, Tenka Limited.
In addition to the shopping expenses, prosecutors alleged that Alison-Madueke was provided with what was described in court as a life of luxury in the United Kingdom, including the use of multimillion-pound properties, chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet travel, and cash payments said to total about £100,000, all of which the prosecution argued were part of a coordinated system of inducements.
The court was told that approximately £4.6 million was allegedly spent refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire said to have been linked to Alison-Madueke’s use, with the prosecution presenting photographs and records to jurors as part of its effort to demonstrate the scale of the alleged benefits and their connection to individuals in the oil and gas industry.
One of the properties highlighted during proceedings was a Buckinghamshire residence known as The Falls, which jurors heard was purchased in 2010 by Nigerian businessman Olajide Omokore, owner of Atlantic Energy, and prosecutors alleged that from late 2011 Alison-Madueke had exclusive use of the property where she reportedly stayed on several occasions and spent about six weeks writing a book.
According to the prosecution, costs associated with The Falls, including approximately £300,000 in refurbishment work, were allegedly paid by Tenka Limited, and jurors were told that the property featured luxury amenities such as a cinema room, reinforcing the prosecution’s narrative of sustained and high-value benefits allegedly enjoyed by the former minister.
The court further heard that between May 2011 and January 2014, about £500,000 was allegedly paid in rent for two flats in central London occupied by Alison-Madueke and her mother, with company records said to show that Tenka Limited settled the bills, a detail prosecutors presented as evidence of ongoing financial support tied to business interests.
Kolawole Aluko, described in court as a petroleum and aviation magnate whose name appeared in the Panama Papers, was referenced by prosecutors as someone previously investigated over allegations that he helped move millions of dollars out of Nigeria as kickbacks, while at the same time holding and seeking further contracts with state-owned oil entities, although these matters were presented as background to the current charges.
Prosecutors argued that the pattern of alleged payments and benefits between 2011 and 2015 coincided with Alison-Madueke’s tenure as Nigeria’s petroleum minister and later as President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, positions that, according to the prosecution, placed her in a powerful role over decisions affecting major oil contracts.
Alison-Madueke is standing trial alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faces one count of bribery relating to her and another count of bribing a foreign public official, with the court noting that Ayinde has also denied the charges brought against him as proceedings continue.
Her brother, Doye Agama, 69, a former archbishop, is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and is attending the trial by video link for medical reasons, with the court acknowledging his remote participation as part of the ongoing proceedings and confirming that he too has denied the allegations.
The trial, which the court indicated is expected to last about 12 weeks, continues at Southwark Crown Court with prosecutors maintaining that the case demonstrates how alleged conduct in the United Kingdom may have intersected with corruption concerns in Nigeria’s oil sector, while Alison-Madueke and her co-defendants maintain their innocence as the jury hears the evidence placed before it.