By Desire Emmanuel
The corruption trial in London of Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Nigerian oil minister and the first woman president of OPEC, had its start delayed on Monday, January 26, for legal and technical reasons, lawyers told Agence France Presse (AFP).
The woman faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, related to her time as Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 when Goodluck Jonathan was the country’s president.
The trial may not begin until tomorrow, Tuesday, with both the prosecution and defence teams needing to agree on certain evidence that may or may not be examined during the proceedings — and to finalise the selection of jurors — lawyers said.
Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015.
These included the use of, refurbishment work on and staff costs at several London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria and £100,000 ($137,000) in cash.
Other counts allege she received bribes, including school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights.
