Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has appeared before a court in the United Kingdom as legal proceedings against her move closer to full trial.
Alison-Madueke was present at the Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday for a preliminary hearing in a case bordering on alleged bribery.
The matter was heard in Court 8 before Justice Thornton as part of pre-trial procedures ahead of the substantive hearing scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026.
The former minister is facing charges brought by the UK government over allegations that she accepted bribes while serving as Nigeria’s petroleum minister.
In August 2023, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged her, accusing her of receiving at least £100,000 in illicit payments in exchange for the award of lucrative oil and gas contracts.
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Investigators believe the alleged bribes were part of a wider scheme through which she enriched herself during her time in office.
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. During the same period, she also held the influential position of President of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 2014.
Following her arrest in the UK, she was granted bail in October 2023 in the sum of £70,000.
However, the Westminster Magistrates Court imposed strict conditions after describing her as a potential flight risk.
The conditions included an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, mandatory wearing of an electronic monitoring tag, and the provision of a £70,000 surety before she was allowed to leave the court premises.
Alison-Madueke has also been at the centre of international asset recovery efforts linked to alleged corruption.
In January 2025, the Nigerian government signed an agreement with the United States for the return of $52.88 million recovered from assets associated with her, known as the Galactica assets.
According to the US government, the former minister and her associates used proceeds from allegedly fraudulent oil contracts to purchase luxury properties in California and New York, as well as a 65-metre superyacht named Galactica Star.
In Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has similarly pursued properties and funds believed to be connected to her, as part of ongoing anti-corruption investigations.
The upcoming trial in London is expected to further determine her legal fate, more than a decade after she left office.
