Author: Sam Tobin and Robert Harvey
LONDON (Reuters) – Nigeria’s former oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke had no real influence on the awarding of lucrative government contracts and was merely a “rubber stamp” for official advice, her lawyer told her London corruption trial on Thursday.
Alison-Madueke, who served as petroleum resources minister under then-President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, has pleaded not guilty to five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Prosecutors allege that Alison-Marduk “enjoyed a life of luxury” in London, with oil and gas industry figures providing her with access to high-end properties and showering her with lavish gifts in an attempt to influence the award of lucrative contracts.
But her lawyer, Jonathan Laidlaw, told jurors at London’s Southwark Crown Court that the purchases were made on behalf of Alison Maduke “because Nigerian ministers are prohibited from having bank accounts abroad”.
He also said Alison-Maduke, 65, disputed the extent of the property provided for her use and the amount of goods she received, but “all the money spent on her personally was compensated in some way”.
Laidlaw said personal expenses were reimbursed by Alison-Maduke in Nigeria and expenses related to official duties “were reimbursed from government coffers”, meaning Alison-Maduke did not receive any financial advantage.
“If there is any economic advantage, it is to Nigeria’s benefit, to enable the Minister of Petroleum Resources to take on her ministerial portfolio… and of course there is nothing wrong with that,” he added.
No other alleged bribers have been charged in the UK
Alison-Maduk, who also briefly served as OPEC chief, is on trial alongside her brother Doye Agama, 69, who has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with 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 bribing a foreign public official.
The trial, expected to end in April, is one of the highest-profile cases linked to alleged corruption in oil-rich Nigeria.
Prosecutors said Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko spent more than 2 million pounds ($2.8 million) on goods for Alison-Madueke alone at London’s Harrods department store.
Allison-Maduk is also accused of accepting bribes from prominent figures in the oil and gas industry, including gifts and payments for her son’s school fees.
However, Laidlaw told the jury that no one else named in Alison-Maduk’s allegations had been charged and the UK was not seeking their extradition to face trial.
Lawyer says minister has no real influence
Laidlaw said Alison-Maduke’s appointment as minister meant she signed oil and gas contracts awarded by the Nigerian government.
He told the jury to ask whether Alison-Maduke “had the ability to influence the people who were awarded these contracts or … she was effectively a rubber stamp on the advice put forward by her civil servants”.
Alison-Maduke’s lawyer also acknowledged that Nigeria, one of the world’s largest oil producers and the largest in Africa, has long suffered from corruption.
However, he said the UK’s views on government and business conduct may be different compared to Nigeria’s.
“For all of us sitting in Southwark, these things may seem uncomfortable or luxurious, but for 12 people sitting in Nigeria it may feel very different,” Laidlaw told the jury.
($1 = 0.7248 British pounds)
(Reporting by Sam Tobin and Robert Harvey; Editing by Toby Chopra)
