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The bribery trial of former Nigerian petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke—that U.K. investigators describe as a major step in a long-running international corruption probe—started Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, with the first substantive hearing expected Tuesday.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s oil minister from 2010 to 2015 and later chaired the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2014–2015, faces six charges, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. All charges are linked to the awarding of oil and gas contracts during her time in office, according to U.K. authorities and media reports.
British investigators allege she received at least 100,000 British pounds ($136,525) in cash along with benefits that prosecutors characterize as “financial or other advantages,” including private-jet flights, chauffeur-driven cars, the use and upkeep of London properties, luxury goods, and school fees for her son.
When the charges were authorized in 2023, the U.K.’s National Crime Agency said it suspected Alison-Madueke “abused her power” and accepted rewards in exchange for helping steer “multi-million-pound” contracts. Alison-Madueke has denied wrongdoing and has been on bail in the U.K. since 2023, attending preliminary court hearings earlier this month as jurors were selected.
The trial is expected to run for several weeks and could carry significant penalties if she is convicted. Under the U.K. Bribery Act, she can face up to 10 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
The London proceedings are also unfolding alongside broader asset-recovery efforts tied to allegations of corruption in Nigeria’s oil sector. In 2025, the United States and Nigeria announced an agreement to repatriate about $52.88 million in forfeited assets linked to an investigation associated with Alison-Madueke and her alleged associates, according to the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. State Department.
OCCRP has previously reported that the U.K. authorities charged the former Nigerian petroleum minister in August 2023 over alleged bribery tied to multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In 2017 Nigerian prosecutors filed money-laundering charges against her in a separate case alleging payments to influence election officials ahead of the 2015 vote.
Earlier the U.S. Justice Department recovered more than $53 million in allegedly corruption-linked oil proceeds laundered through the U.S., with additional funds still pending at the time.
