Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday appeared before Southwark Crown Court in London for preliminary proceedings in an ongoing bribery case being prosecuted by United Kingdom authorities.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015, was present in court as the matter came up before Justice Thornton in Court 8.
The session focused on procedural and administrative issues ahead of the substantive trial, which is scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026.
The former minister, who was Nigeria’s first female petroleum minister and later became the first woman to serve as Secretary-General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has been on bail since her arrest in London in October 2015. She has pleaded not guilty to six counts of bribery.
The charges were formally filed in 2023 by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which alleges that Alison-Madueke received improper benefits while holding public office in Nigeria.
According to the agency, she is accused of abusing her position to influence the award of lucrative oil and gas contracts in exchange for personal gains.
Prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke received at least £100,000 in cash, along with other benefits including chauffeur-driven vehicles, private jet travel and access to multiple properties in London.
The indictment also lists additional benefits linked to those properties, such as renovation costs, furnishings, household staff, school fees and luxury shopping expenses.
The NCA said it believes the benefits were provided as rewards for facilitating multi-million-pound contracts.
The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. Two other defendants are also facing related bribery charges.
One of them, Doye Agama, joined Monday’s hearing via video link, while the other, Olatimbo Ayinde, appeared in person before the court.