The corruption trial of former Nigerian oil minister and ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke has officially started in London. The 65-year-old faces multiple bribery-related charges linked to her time as Nigeria’s Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan.

Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting bribes and other benefits from individuals connected to two energy companies.

These allegedly included cash payments, luxury goods from stores like Harrods and Louis Vuitton, school fees for her son, private jet flights, chauffeur-driven cars, and property refurbishment in London. The indictment claims these benefits influenced her performance in office.

The trial is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks. Alison-Madueke, who has been on bail since her arrest in London in 2015, denies all charges. Two other individuals, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing bribery charges in the case.

In 2023, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) formally charged Alison-Madueke with bribery offenses and assisted U.S. authorities in recovering assets worth over $53 million, including luxury real estate and a superyacht.

Born in 1960 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Alison-Madueke studied architecture in the UK and the U.S. before working for Shell Nigeria.

She served as Nigeria’s transport minister, then minister of mines and steel development, before being appointed petroleum minister in 2010. In 2014, she made history as the first female president of OPEC, holding the role for about a year.