*Photo: Alison-Madueke*
British police on Tuesday said they had charged fugitive former Nigerian oil minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke with bribery offences.
The police said she was suspected to have accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million pound oil and gas contracts.
Alison-Madueke, 63, served as petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015, under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million pound contracts,” said Andy Kelly, Head of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) International Corruption Unit.
“These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation.”
Alison-Madueke was arrested in London in October 2015, a few months after leaving office, and has also been the subject of investigations in Nigeria and the United States.
The NCA said she was currently living in St John’s Wood, an upmarket area of west London, and would appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Oct. 2.
It said Alison-Madueke was accused of benefiting from at least 100,000 pounds ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.