Diezani Alison-Madueke, former minister of petroleum resources, has appeared before the Southwark Crown Court in London for a preliminary hearing in her bribery trial.
The matter was listed before Justice Thornton in Court 8 on Monday, according to the court’s cause list.
The appearance formed part of pre-trial proceedings ahead of the commencement of the substantive trial fixed for January 26, 2026.
The United Kingdom authorities charged Alison-Madueke in August 2023 over allegations involving a £100,000 bribe.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said it suspected that the former minister accepted inducements in exchange for approving oil and gas contracts valued at several million pounds during her time in office.
Alison-Madueke served as petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan and later became president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries in 2014.
In October 2023, a court in the United Kingdom granted her bail in the sum of £70,000.
The Westminster magistrates court, which described her as “a flight risk”, imposed additional bail conditions.
The conditions included an 11pm to 6am curfew, the wearing of an electronic monitoring tag at all times, and the payment of a £70,000 surety before she was allowed to leave the court premises.
In January 2025, the Nigerian government entered into an asset return agreement with the United States over $52.88 million recovered from the Galactica assets linked to Alison-Madueke.
The United States authorities said the former minister and her associates acquired high-end properties in California and New York, as well as the 65-metre superyacht Galactica Star, using “proceeds of those illicitly awarded contracts”.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has also pursued assets connected to Alison-Madueke within Nigeria as part of ongoing recovery efforts.