(Diezani Alison-Madueke. Photo Credit: Yahoo)
Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former oil minister, disputes the accusations made against her.
A court has been informed that two oil executives have denied bribing former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Kevin Okyere and Igho Sanomi’s statements to UK investigators were read aloud at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday.
Alison-Madueke, 65, claims that the men are among a group of industry insiders who have funded luxurious home stays and spending sprees. They have not shown up in person at court and none of them have been charged in this case.
Alison-Madueke disputes an accusation of conspiracy to commit bribery as well as five charges of taking bribes. She claims that the money paid for the services she received while doing official duties was later reimbursed.
Ghanaian businessman Okyere claimed in a written statement provided to National Crime Agency (NCA) detectives in June 2016 that he had paid for goods Alison-Madueke had purchased at Peter Jones two years prior after running into her at the registers and noticing she was short on cash.
Okyere, the CEO of many oil and gas firms, claimed that Alison-Madueke eventually paid back the £3,900 in cash at his office in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria.
Additionally, he informed investigators that it was “completely untrue” that he had “bribed” Alison-Madueke.
In June 2017, however, Nigerian oil magnate Sanomi addressed the NCA.
He claimed that “foreign currency exchange [was] difficult in Nigeria” and that, as a result, he “obtained items on Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s behalf in London,” all of which would be refunded.
Additionally, he informed the NCA that his businesses “always won their contracts fairly bidding against other competitors and that at no point was Mrs. Alison Madueke or anyone else improperly involved in any allocation” to him or his businesses.
Alison-Madueke was appointed oil minister in 2010 by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who also read a statement to the court on Tuesday.
In it, he stated that payments made by third parties on behalf of ministers serving abroad are not uncommon.
He added that “any properly incurred incidental or in-kind assistance from third parties would be recorded and reimbursed where applicable”.
Jonathan added that he had given his approval for her to travel abroad in private aircraft.
The court had previously heard allegations that oil tycoons had given the minister a “life of luxury” that included the use of residences valued at millions of pounds and chauffeur-driven vehicles in addition to paying for private jets.
Earlier on Tuesday, Alison-Madueke concluded her nearly 11-day testimony. She was questioned about the steps she has taken after being arrested in 2015 to provide evidence that money spent in multiple shopping trips to Harrods and other luxury stores had been paid back.
She said that since her arrest she had been held in London by the NCA “at the expense of taxpayers and had not been allowed to go back to Nigeria in the last 10 years”.
Alison-Madueke further claimed that her documents had been confiscated by Nigerian officials, who she accused of failing to support her defense owing to their political hostility to the government she had served in.
“At no time did I do anything to influence or show favor to anyone,” she told the court, denying that she had lied about not getting money or other benefits from oil executives.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC cross-examined the former minister for six days, during which time she was shown numerous pricey things that the prosecution claims were purchased for her, including furniture and Gucci purses.
In a trip in November 2013 to Vincenzo Caffarella, a decorative arts and antiques shop in London, £170,000 was allegedly spent on a “vast amount of property” including Venetian lamps and vases. Alison-Madueke denied it was to furnish a house she was having built in Nigeria, saying most of the items were not for her.