Nigeria: 'I Was a Rubber Stamp, Not Decision Maker,' Diezani Tells UK Court

Former Nigerian oil minister testifies in UK court, claiming her role was administrative, not discretionary, in major contract approvals. | Contesto: cronaca

Punti chiave

• Nigeria: 'I Was a Rubber Stamp, Not Decision Maker,' Diezani Tells UK Court

Contesto

In a London courtroom on Wednesday, Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria's former Minister of Petroleum Resources, delivered a striking characterization of her tenure, telling a judge she acted as a "rubber stamp" rather than a decision-maker for lucrative state contracts. The testimony came during proceedings related to a sprawling international corruption probe, where she faces allegations of accepting substantial bribes during her time in office from 2010 to 2015. Her defense hinges on a detailed description of a bureaucratic machine she claims operated largely without her personal discretion. Alison-Madueke outlined a multi-layered process for contract approvals, asserting that decisions were processed through several specialized agencies and technical committees before ever reaching her ministerial desk. According to her account, these bodies, staffed with experts, conducted the substantive evaluations and negotiations. Her role, she suggested, was often the final administrative step in a chain of pre-vetted approvals, a portrayal starkly at odds with the prosecution's narrative of a powerful minister at the center of a kleptocratic network. This depiction challenges the very premise of the charges, which imply she wielded singular authority to grant favors in exchange for money. The case is a focal point in a wider international effort to recover what Nigerian authorities estimate are tens of billions of dollars looted from state coffers, primarily from the oil and gas sector. Alison-Madueke, a prominent figure in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has long been a symbol of alleged grand corruption for many Nigerians. Her arrest and prosecution in the United Kingdom, following years of investigations by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), represents a rare instance of a high-profile Nigerian official facing justice outside a system often criticized for its impunity. Legal experts observing the case note that the "rubber stamp" defense is a complex one in corruption jurisprudence. It raises questions about ministerial responsibility and whether a cabinet-level official can be held criminally liable for approvals granted within a formal,...

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Categoria: cronaca