Alison-Madueke Spent £2 million in Luxury Store Harrods, Court is Told

London — A UK court on Tuesday heard detailed allegations about the extravagant lifestyle of Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in Britain. She lived off the funds from oil industry figures seeking lucrative government contracts in Nigeria.

Prosecutors told jurors at Southwark Crown Court that Alison-Madueke, 65, spent more than £2 million on luxury shopping at Harrods and other high-end retailers. At times, buying so many goods that she reportedly ran out of space to keep them.

The former minister, who served from April 2010 to May 2015, is accused of accepting bribes and conspiring to commit bribery, charges she strongly denies.

According to the prosecution, Alison-Madueke stayed in multiple high-value UK properties allegedly paid for and refurbished by business figures in the energy sector. These included a grand home in Buckinghamshire, a £2.8 million property in Marylebone, central London, and multimillion-pound residences overlooking Regent’s Park.

The court heard that renovations to some of these properties were valued at about £4.6 million.

Prosecutors further alleged that Alison-Madueke received £100,000 in cash, access to a private jet, and a chauffeur-driven car. In addition to that, she was also provided the services of domestic staff such as a housekeeper, nanny, gardener and window cleaner during her stays in the UK.

The court was told that individuals accused of bribing her also financed extensive shopping sprees at elite retailers. These allegedly included bills exceeding £2 million at Harrods, £370,740 at Marylebone antiques dealer Vincenzo Caffarella, and £117,224.33 at Mayfair luxury retailer Thomas Goode, which specialises in fine china, silverware and glass.

Giving evidence through the prosecution, Alexandra Healy KC said Alison-Madueke’s visits to Thomas Goode from February 2011 made an impression on staff due to the size of her entourage and the length of her shopping trips.

A store employee, Jon Taverner, recalled occasions when shopping lasted for hours, including one instance when she reportedly worked at a desk in the store before resuming her purchases.

“He described her as particularly loving their sales and unable to resist a bargain,” Healy told the court. On one occasion, jurors heard, Alison-Madueke allegedly remarked, “I don’t even know why I’m buying this, I haven’t got the room for it.”

Jurors were also told that Alison-Madueke never paid personally for items purchased at the Mayfair store. This included a £19,533 marble console table, a Georgian-style sideboard and a French writing desk. Some of these items were later identified by Mr Taverner after being recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency from a storage unit said to be linked to the former minister.

While in office, Alison-Madueke had oversight of Nigeria’s state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries, including the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company and the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company.

Prosecutors allege she accepted bribes from five men with senior roles in oil companies seeking preferential access to government contracts.

One of them, Kolawole Aluko, is alleged to have funded much of the excessive and extravagant spending, including the Harrods shopping sprees. Jurors also heard that Aluko paid for luxury bathroom fittings worth more than £38,000 from West One Bathrooms in 2013, although the items were never collected.

The court was shown extracts of recorded conversations from 2014 in which Alison-Madueke allegedly expressed concern that Aluko had been speaking about their supposed arrangement. In one recording, she is heard saying, “I will be happy to escort all of you to jail along with myself,” and later adding that she would openly explain events to the Nigerian public.

In the same conversations, Aluko is heard denying telling anyone about the alleged gifts. Alison-Madueke disputes, on the other hand, claims that $80 million had been spent on her, stating that the furniture she received amounted to no more than $4 million.

Co-defendants in the case include Olatimbo Ayinde, a Nigerian oil company owner, who denies two charges of bribery. Alison-Madueke’s brother, former archbishop Doye Agama, denies conspiracy to commit bribery.

The trial is also expected to hear allegations relating to £1 million in payments to Agama’s church, which prosecutors say were intended to influence Alison-Madueke.

The trial is ongoing.