The corruption trial of a former Petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, in London had its start delayed yesterday for legal and technical reasons, lawyers said.

The 65-year-old, who is the first female president of OPEC, faces five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, related to her time as Minister for Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015, when Goodluck Jonathan was Nigeria’s president.

The trial may not begin until today, with both the prosecution and defence teams needing to agree on certain evidence that may or may not be examined during the proceedings — and to finalise the selection of jurors — lawyers said.

Alison-Madueke is accused of accepting “financial or other advantages” from individuals linked to the Atlantic Energy and SPOG Petrochemical groups between 2011 and 2015. These included the use of refurbishment work on, and staff costs at several London properties, furniture, chauffeur-driven cars, a private jet flight to Nigeria and £100,000 ($137,000) in cash.

Other counts allege she received bribes, including school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as Harrods and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights. Accepting these bribes constituted “improper performance” of her duties as oil minister, the indictment read.

She appeared at a London court last week for preliminary proceedings, including technical matters and jury selection, ahead of the trial, which is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks.

Two others, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, are also being prosecuted on bribery charges linked to the case. Alison-Madueke has been on bail since she was first arrested in London in October 2015. She has denied the charges against her. In 2023, she was formally charged with offences of accepting bribes, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.