An ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, on Monday appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in the UK over an alleged £100,000 bribe.
Alison-Madueke was eventually granted a £70,000 bail by the district judge, Michael Snow.
Snow also imposed an 11pm to 6am curfew on Alison-Madueke, an electronic tag to be worn by her at all times and a £70,000 surety to be paid before she could leave the court building.
Although she did not formally enter a plea, her attorney, Mark Bowen, informed the court that she would plead not guilty, Reuters reported.
Her next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.
In August, the UK’s National Crime Agency said it suspected Diezani had accepted bribes in return for awarding multi-million-pound oil and gas contracts.
In a statement published on its website, NCA said Diezani “is alleged to have benefitted from at least £100,000 in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties.
“Her charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from high-end designer shops such as Cartier jewellery and Louis Vuitton goods.”
In March 2023, the NCA also provided evidence to the US Department of justice that enabled them to recover assets totalling USD 53.1 million linked to Diezan’s alleged corruption.
