Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been granted bail by the Westminster Magistrates Court in the United Kingdom. She was granted bail in the amount of £70,000 over allegations of accepting a £100,000 bribe.
District Judge Michael Snow further imposed several conditions on her bail, including an 11 pm to 6 am curfew, wearing an electronic tag at all times, and a £70,000 surety to be paid before leaving the court building.
During her appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court, she provided her name, date of birth, and address.
Although she did not formally enter a plea, her attorney, Mark Bowen, informed the court that she would plead not guilty, Reuters reported.
Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.
The PUNCH reports that in August, the UK’s National Crime Agency said it suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a statement published on its website, NCA said Diezani “is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
“Her charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.”
In March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD 53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.
Head of the NCA’s international corruption unit, Andy Kelly said the “charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation. Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries. We will continue to work with partners here and overseas to tackle the threat”, Kelly added.
In October 2015, Diezani and four other persons were arrested in the UK over alleged bribery and money laundering offences.