Nigeria's ex-oil minister Alison-Madueke stands trial in UK on bribery charges

LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Former Nigerian ⁠oil minister Diezani ‌Alison-Madueke took bribes including ⁠cash, luxury goods and the use of high-end properties from those ‍interested in oil and gas contracts, British prosecutors said on Tuesday as ‍her corruption trial began.

Alison-Madueke was minister for petroleum resources between 2010 ⁠and 2015, under then-president Goodluck Jonathan, and was also briefly president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the first woman ​to hold either role.

The 65-year-old is now one of the most high-profile former energy officials to stand trial for alleged corruption, having been charged in 2023 with ‍five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy ‌to commit bribery.

She denies all the charges and her trial began at London's Southwark ‌Crown Court, where prosecutor Alexandra Healy said Alison-Madueke was given the use of properties and was bought "vast quantities of ‌luxury goods" by those interested in contracts from Nigerian state-owned companies.

Alison-Madueke sat ​in the dock alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who is charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and ⁠a separate count of bribery of a ‍foreign public official.

Alison-Madueke's brother, 69-year-old former archbishop Doye Agama, is charged with conspiracy to ​commit bribery and is listening to the ⁠trial by video link for medical reasons.

Ayinde and Agama also deny the charges against them.