Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of petroleum, has been accused of bribery by the British police.
The UK police reportedly said on Tuesday that they suspected she had accepted bribes in exchange for awarding multi-million pound oil and gas contracts.
The 63-year-old ex-minister served during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, from 2010 to 2015.
She was the president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Speaking about the charges, Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit, said, “We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
According to the NCA, Alison-Madueke was charged with taking advantage of several London houses, chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, luxury vacations for her family, and at least £100,000 in cash.
According to Reuters, the allegations against her include financial benefits such as furnishings, employees and restoration work for the residences, payment of private school tuition, and gifts from high-end designer stores including Louis Vuitton products and Cartier jewelry.
