Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s ex-petroleum minister, will have to wait until November 2025 for her trial at the Southwark Crown Court in the UK. She is accused of taking a £100,000 bribe to influence oil and gas contracts.
Alison-Madueke has been living in the UK since 2015, when she left Nigeria after the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan by Muhammadu Buhari. She was arrested by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) in October 2015, along with four others, on suspicion of corruption and money laundering.
The NCA alleged that Alison-Madueke received kickbacks for awarding lucrative oil and gas deals to companies. She is also facing charges of embezzling $2.5 billion from Nigeria’s treasury while she was in office.
In October 2023, Alison-Madueke was granted bail by the Westminster Magistrates Court for £70,000, but with strict conditions. She has to wear an electronic tag and abide by a curfew from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. The district judge, Michael Snow, deemed her “a flight risk” and warned her not to leave the country.
