Prosecutors allege that Diezani spent £140,000 in one day on luxury furniture and decorative art

NIGERIA'S former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke spent about £140,000 on luxury furniture and decorative art in a single day according to prosecutors who testified against her at the ongoing bribery case at London's Southwark Crown Court.

Mrs Alison-Madueke, 65, is standing trial on five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, before the Southwark Crown Court. According to the prosecution, while in office, Mrs Alison-Madueke accepted bribes from industry figures interested in government contracts.

She is alleged to have been provided with a life of luxury in the United Kingdom, including the use of multimillion-pound properties, a chauffeur driven car, travel by private jet and £100,000 in cash. Other benefits she allegedly received included £4.6m spent on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire.

Yesterday, prosecutors alleged that Mrs Alison-Madueke, spent about £140,000 on luxury furniture and decorative art in a single day. According to prosecutors, the former minister made the purchases at a high-end antiques shop in London, where she bought bespoke lighting, premium furniture and decorative artworks.

Prosecuting counsel Alexandra Healy, told the court that the items were paid for through intermediaries, not directly by Mrs Alison Madueke. She pointed out that this opulent lifestyle was supported by business figures seeking influence over Nigeria’s oil sector as bribes were not given as cash but as luxury goods and access to expensive properties.

Earlier on, the court had heard, on January 27, that the former minister allegedly received luxury items and the use of prime real estate as inducements while she was in office.  Also, the prosecution alleged that over £2m was spent on behalf of the former minister at Harrods using the payment cards of Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko and the debit card of his company Tenka Limited.

However, the defence has denied all these allegations, as on January 29, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to Mrs Alison Madueke, told the court that his client had no real power over the award of oil contracts during her time as minister. He argued that Mrs Alison Madueke acted only as a rubber stamp for decisions made by relevant agencies and officials, insisting that she did not influence contract awards and did not accept bribes.