A Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday granted bail of £70,000 to former minister for petroleum resources Diezani Alison-Madueke who appeared to face bribery charges.
Diezani is accused of receiving bribes in the form of cash, luxury goods, flights on private jets and the use of high-end properties in Britain in return for awarding oil contracts.
District Judge Michael Snow also ruled that she is to wear an electronic tag at all times. The judge imposed an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
Diezani spoke only to give her name, date of birth and address at the court.
Her lawyer Mark Bowen told the court she would be pleading not guilty.
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The ex-minister, who is wanted in Nigeria to face criminal charges bordering on fraud, was arrested in London in 2015, shortly after stepping down as minister. She was charged in August with six bribery offences and has spent the past eight years on police bail, living in St John’s Wood, an expensive area of London.
Prosecutor Andy Young said Diezani allegedly received £100,000 ($121,620) in cash which was to be used for payment of private school fees for her son, and to refurbish several luxurious properties in the UK.
He also said some of the bribes she allegedly took included the use of a Range Rover car, payment of bills for chauffeur-driven cars, furniture, and purchases from the upmarket London department store Harrods and from Vincenzo Caffarella, which sells Italian decorative arts and antiques.
Diezani’s next court appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court, which deals with serious criminal cases, on October 30.
