Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, says she did not solicit or receive bribes, insisting that expenses incurred during her tenure were official and reimbursed by the Nigerian government.
Testifying on Monday at Southwark Crown Court in London, Alison-Madueke said payments made on her behalf in the United Kingdom (UK) were tied to her official duties and not personal benefits.
According to a BBC report, prosecutors alleged that Nigerian businessmen funded a series of luxury expenses for the former minister, including more than £2 million spent at Harrods and about £4.6 million spent on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire.
They also claimed she had access to multiple high-end homes, including properties in Marylebone and multi-million-pound homes overlooking Regent’s Park.
But Alison-Madueke told the court that such arrangements were part of official logistics.
She said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) reimbursed the costs, noting that a London-based service company was set up to manage travel and accommodation due to inefficiencies within the organisation.
“They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs… to allow me to perform the job that I did,” she said.