Ex-Nigeria oil minister for bribery trial spend £2m for Harrods, court hear

More dan £2m na im dem spend for Harrods on behalf of one former Nigerian oil minister wey dem accuse say e accept bribes from industry figures wey bin dey interested in govment contracts, one court for London don hear.

Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, allegedly dey "live life of luxury for United Kingdom", including multimillion-pound house, chauffeur dey drive am, private jet travel, and £100,000 cash. Oda benefits wey she allegedly don enjoy na £4.6m wey she spend to refurbishing one properties for London and Buckinghamshire, na wetin dem tell di trial for Southwark Crown Court.

She deny five counts of accepting bribes and one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke na minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

Dem tell jurors say ova £2m na im dem spend on behalf of Alison-Madueke for Harrods using di payment card of Kolawole Aluko and di debit card of im company Tenka Limited.

Di defendant get her own personal shopper for di store, wey dey only available to Harrods Rewards Black Tier members wey fit spend ova £10,000 a year, di court hear.

Jurors also hear say she dey live for UK sometimes, wia dem provide her wit housekeeper, nanny, gardener, and window cleaner.

Di owners of energy companies wey get lucrative contracts wit di state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation na im dey pay di salaries and oda running costs, di court hear.

"Dis case na about bribery in relation to oil and gas industry for Nigeria between 2011 and 2015," prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC tok.

"During dat time dose wey bin dey interested in di award and retention of lucrative oil and gas contracts wit di state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation or im subsidiaries di Nigerian Petroleum Development Company and di Pipelines Product Marketing Company, bin provide ogbonge financial or oda advantages to Alison-Madueke."

Healy add: "E fit look strange say we dey handle case for UK wey concern bribery in relation to Nigerian oil and gas industry.

We dey live for global society. Bribery and corruption dey undermine how di global market suppose dey function.

Important public interest dey to make sure say wetin dey happun for our kontri no dey promote corruption for anoda kontri."

Dem show jurors photographs inside property wey dem dey call The Falls for Gerrard's Cross, Buckinghamshire. Na Nigerian businessman Olajide Omokore buy am for 2010 - e get company wey dem dey call Atlantic Energy.

From late 2011, dem tok say Alison-Madueke dey use di house wey get cinema room. Court hear say she bin stay dia three or four times in two years, plus six weeks wey she dey dia dey write book about president of Nigeria.

She bin dey assisted by a chef and di driver of car wey im role include dropping off shopping for Alison-Madueke, wey e know as "HM" - short for honourable minister.

Dem tok say dis, along wit £300,000 worth of refurbishment, na im Tenka Limited pay for. Dem tell di court say Aluko also get contracts wit state-owned entities wey bin dey in di process of securing new oil contracts.

Di court hear say between May 2011 and January 2014, dem also pay £500,000 for rent for two flats for central London wey Alison-Madueke and her mama dey live.

Record wey dem take from Tenka offices for Nigeria show say di company settle di bill, dem claim.

Alison-Madueke bin sit for dock beside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, wey dey face one charge of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and one separate count of bribing foreign public official.

Alison-Madueke brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, 69, dey face charge of conspiracy to bribe and e join di trial via video link becos of health issue.

Ayinde and Agama also deny di charges against dem.

Di trial wey dey expected to last about 12 weeks dey continue.

Oil dey play big role for Nigeria economy, but di population no dey feel di benefits.

Nigeria na one of di 13 members of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), wey dem set up to manage global oil supply and price.

Who be Diezani Alison-Madueke?

Diezani Alison-Madueke wey dem born on 6 December 1960 for Port Harcourt, Rivers State, na Nigerian politician and she be di first woman wey ever bicom president of di Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec)

She bicom Nigeria Minister of Transportation on 26 July 2007.

For 2008, dem move am go Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, and for April 2010, dem appoint am as di first female Minister of Petroleum Resources for Nigeria.

She later bicom di first female president of Opec for di 166th Opec Ordinary Meeting wey happun for Vienna on 27 November 2014.