Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has pleaded not guilty to multiple bribery charges as her high-profile trial opened at Southwark Crown Court in London.

British prosecutors allege that Alison-Madueke, who oversaw Nigeria’s powerful petroleum ministry and later became president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, abused her office between 2011 and 2015 by accepting lavish inducements from businessmen seeking access to lucrative oil and gas contracts with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

The court was told that the alleged benefits went far beyond routine hospitality. Prosecutors outlined a pattern of payments and perks they say underwrote a “life of luxury” in London, including £100,000 in cash, the use of chauffeur-driven cars, private jet flights, extensive refurbishment and staffing costs for high-end properties, and the payment of school fees for her son. The indictment also cites designer goods and shopping sprees at luxury retailers such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton as part of the alleged corrupt rewards.

Alison-Madueke, appearing in the dock flanked by her legal team, firmly denied the charges. Through her counsel, she rejected claims that she traded access to Nigeria’s oil wealth for personal gain, insisting that any benefits highlighted by the prosecution were either mischaracterised or unrelated to official decisions taken while in office.

The case is the culmination of a years-long investigation by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, which has previously stated it suspects the former minister of accepting financial rewards in exchange for awarding multi-million-pound energy contracts. She was first arrested in London in 2015 and has remained on bail while inquiries continued, before being formally charged.

In Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is pursuing separate corruption and money-laundering cases against her, part of a broader effort to recover assets allegedly linked to diverted public funds. Alison-Madueke has consistently denied wrongdoing in both jurisdictions.

Two other defendants, identified as her brother, Doye Agama, and associate, Olatimbo Ayinde, are also facing related bribery charges in the UK proceedings, accused of helping to facilitate or benefit from the alleged scheme.

Presiding judge Justine Thornton indicated that the London trial is expected to run for several weeks, with the court aiming to conclude proceedings before the end of April, after which a verdict will be delivered.