Diezani Alison-Madueke, the previous Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Sources, appeared at Southwark Crown Courtroom in London, United Kingdom, on Monday for a preliminary session in her ongoing bribery case.
The listening to, which befell earlier than Justice Thornton in Courtroom 8 as listed on the court docket’s trigger record, comes forward of her primary trial, scheduled to begin on January 26, 2026.
Recall that in August 2023, UK authorities formally charged Alison-Madueke, accusing her of receiving a £100,000 bribe.
In response to the UK Nationwide Crime Company (NCA), investigators allege that she “accepted unlawful funds in change for the approval of oil and fuel contracts price a number of tens of millions of kilos” whereas holding public workplace.
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Sources from 2010 to 2015 beneath former President Goodluck Jonathan and made historical past in 2014 when she turned president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting International locations (OPEC).
In October 2023, a UK court docket granted her bail of £70,000. The Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom had imposed strict situations on her launch after ruling that she was “a flight danger.”
Beneath the bail phrases, Alison-Madueke is required to stick to a curfew from 11 pm to six am, put on an digital monitoring tag always, and supply a £70,000 surety earlier than leaving the court docket premises.
In January 2025, Nigeria and the US signed an asset repatriation Bargain involving $52.88 million linked to the Galactica property allegedly related to Alison-Madueke.
The US authorities said that Alison-Madueke and her associates used “proceeds of these illicitly awarded contracts” to amass high-end properties in California and New York, in addition to the Galactica Star, a 65-metre superyacht.
In the meantime, Nigeria’s {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) continues to pursue a number of property believed to be related to the previous petroleum minister.