Ex-Nigerian Oil Minister Took Cash and Harrods Bribes, Jury Told

Diezani Alison-Madueke accepted cash bribes and “vast quantities” of luxury perks in exchange for handing over lucrative government contracts when she served as Nigerian oil minister, prosecutors said on the first day of a London trial.

The 65-year-old former OPEC president is charged with five counts of accepting bribes from people linked to energy firms and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery between 2011 and 2015, according to the indictment. Alison-Madueke served as Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015, while in 2014 she became the first female president of OPEC.

“It was improper for Alison-Madueke to receive ...