Former Nigerian Oil Minister Denies Bribery Allegations in UK Court

A former Nigerian oil minister appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Monday to deny allegations of accepting bribes. The accusations center on claims that she received luxury home stays and lavish spending in the UK in return for granting government contracts.

The minister, aged 65, testified that she had attempted to address corruption in Nigeria, a country with a history of such issues dating back to its time as a British colony.

£4.6m on refurbishing homes in London and Buckinghamshire. The minister stated that costs for services provided during official duties were later repaid by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). She explained that a service company was established in London to manage logistics due to complications in the NNPC's financial structure.

Court proceedings detailed a five-day stay over Christmas 2011 at a house in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, for family medical reasons, which the minister said she did not arrange.

Allegations Another visit involved a two-week stay with 10 to 12 officials to write a book highlighting the Nigerian president's initiatives for women.

The minister described taking responsibility for compiling the book to document those efforts. A property overlooking Regent's Park was used for official meetings, while another accused property was undergoing major renovations and was not usable during her visit, according to her testimony.

The court heard that the minister and her mother stayed in two apartments in St John's Wood, with rent covered by a Nigerian businessman.

This arrangement was presented as more cost-effective than booking suites at high-end hotels like the Savoy and Dorchester, which cost £2,000 per night. The businessman is one of several involved in the case but not on trial. The minister testified that she was unaware of a chauffeur delivering £100,000 in cash to her, and stated that the money was unrelated to her activities.

Prior to her government role, she had advanced in the ranks at Shell, becoming the first senior female executive in its Nigerian operations. She described discomfort in the position due to the company's past treatment of her father, a former senior employee who had pursued legal action against Shell over practices in West Africa.

During her time at Shell, the company faced challenges with oil spills in the Niger Delta region, where her family originated.

The minister expressed that the company had not adequately addressed the resulting environmental damage. She also discussed security concerns in Nigeria, noting its patriarchal society and threats including potential kidnappings, with family members having been targeted.

In 2015, the minister was elected as the first female head of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which coordinates oil production policies among member nations.

The minister denies five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. An oil industry executive, aged 54, faces one count of bribery and one count of bribing a foreign public official. The minister's brother, a former archbishop aged 69, denies a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

The case continues at Southwark Crown Court, where further testimony is expected. The allegations stem from activities during the minister's tenure, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of corruption in Nigeria's oil sector. Stakeholders, including affected businesses and government entities, await the outcome, which could influence international perceptions of the country's resource management.