Diezani arraigned in UK court on bribery charges

Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of petroleum, appeared in court in London on Monday to answer to allegations that she accepted financial bribes.

According to a report by Reuters on Monday, other charges against the former minister included acquiring expensive items, taking private flights, and using opulent houses in Britain in exchange for granting oil contracts.

Alison-Madueke was arrested in London in 2015, shortly after the expiration of her term in office, and was charged in August with six counts of bribery.

She has resided in St John’s Wood, a pricey district of London, for the last eight years while on police bail.

READ ALSO:Court picks October 23 for hearing of Diezani’s suit against EFCC

According to the report, the accusations made against her and read aloud in court all concerned alleged incidents that happened in London when she was serving as a Nigerian minister.

She is accused of accepting a wide range of benefits, both in cash and in kind, from those hoping to win or maintain their position as winners of oil contracts, which the prosecutor estimates to be worth billions of dollars overall.

District Judge Michael Snow granted Alison-Madueke bail but imposed terms including an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, an electronic tag to be worn at all times and a 70,000-pound surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.

Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on Oct. 30.

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