Reuters

Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke had no real power over government contract awards and was merely a “rubber stamp” for official recommendations, her lawyer told a London court Thursday as her corruption trial began.

Alison-Madueke, the petroleum minister from 2010-2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan, denies bribery and conspiracy charges.

Prosecutors say Alison-Madueke “enjoyed a life of luxury” in London, with oil and gas industry figures providing access to high-end properties and lavishing her with lavish gifts to try to influence the awarding of lucrative contracts.

But her lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that purchases were made on Alison-Madueke’s behalf “because Nigerian ministers are forbidden from having bank accounts abroad”.

He also said Alison-Madueke, 65, disputes the extent to which properties were provided for her use and the amounts of goods she received, but that “all that was spent on her personally, in one way or another, was reimbursed”.

Laidlaw said Alison-Madueke personally repaid expenses in Nigeria, distinguishing between her private reimbursements and official business expenses, which were paid from government funds. He argued that she did not personally benefit financially, a central legal point in the case.

“If there was any financial advantage, it was to Nigeria, enabling the Minister for Petroleum Resources to undertake her ministerial business and … there was, of course, nothing improper about it,” he added.

Other Alleged Bribe Payers Not Charged in UK

Alison-Madueke, who was also briefly president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, is standing trial alongside her brother Doye Agama, 69, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery relating to his church.

Their co-defendant, Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, has pleaded not guilty to one count of bribing Alison-Madueke between 2012 and 2014 and one count of bribery of a foreign public official.

The trial, expected to conclude in April, is one of the most high-profile cases relating to alleged corruption in oil-rich Nigeria.

Prosecutors say that Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko spent more than 2 million pounds ($2.8 million) on items for Alison-Madueke at London department store Harrods alone.

Alison-Madueke is also accused of taking bribes, including gifts and payment for her son’s school fees, from prominent oil and gas industry figures.

But Laidlaw told the jury, none of the others named in the charges against Alison-Madueke has been charged, nor has Britain sought to have them extradited to stand trial.

Minister Had No Real Influence

Laidlaw said Alison-Madueke’s role as minister meant she signed off on oil and gas contracts awarded by the Nigerian government.

He emphasised that the jury should consider whether Alison-Madueke had actual legal authority to decide who would get contracts, or whether her role was limited to formally approving decisions made by others, which would be relevant to the bribery charges.

Alison-Madueke’s lawyer also acknowledged that Nigeria, one of the world’s largest oil producers and the largest in Africa, had long been blighted by corruption.

He said, however, that perceptions of government and business practices may differ in Britain compared to Nigeria.

“Things which may seem uncomfortable or extravagant to all of us sitting here in Southwark, may well feel very different to 12 people sitting together in Nigeria,” Laidlaw told the jury.