By Francis Ajuonuma
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London for a preliminary hearing in her ongoing bribery trial.
The appearance marked the formal opening of proceedings ahead of the substantive trial, which is scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026.
The case was listed before Justice Thornton, with initial hearings focusing on procedural and technical matters, including jury arrangements.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015 and later became president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, 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 filed in 2023 by the National Crime Agency, which alleges that the former minister abused her office by accepting bribes in exchange for influence over the award of multi-million-pound contracts.
According to the indictment, Alison-Madueke received at least £100,000 in cash, alongside other benefits, including luxury transportation, private jet flights, and the use of high-value properties in London.
Additional alleged benefits include property renovations, household staff, payment of school fees and designer items.
The trial is expected to last between 10 and 12 weeks. Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing related bribery charges, with proceedings against them running alongside Alison-Madueke’s case.
The trial’s outcome is being closely watched in Nigeria, where the case continues to draw attention to longstanding concerns about corruption and accountability in the management of the country’s oil sector.
