The defense counsel for Nigeria’s former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has told a London court that she had no real influence over the awarding of oil contracts during her tenure, describing her role as largely that of a “rubber stamp.”
Jonathan Laidlaw, representing Alison-Madueke, made the statement on Thursday before jurors at Southwark Crown Court, where she is standing trial on charges of accepting bribes.
Laidlaw argued that as minister, her function was to approve contracts based on recommendations from civil servants, rather than to shape the decisions herself.
“Was she effectively a rubber stamp, stamping the recommendations that her civil servants made?” he asked the jury, according to Reuters.
The statement followed allegations by British prosecutors earlier in the week that Alison-Madueke accepted luxury gifts, high-end property stays, and other benefits from individuals seeking oil contracts in Nigeria.
The defense also addressed the prosecution’s depiction of lavish spending, suggesting that standards of luxury differ between Nigeria and the UK. Laidlaw explained that Nigerian ministers are prohibited from holding foreign bank accounts, and that expenses were either repaid locally or covered by government funds for official trips.
Alison-Madueke served as Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan. She has pleaded not guilty to the bribery charges.
The trial continues.
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