Jonathan Laidlaw KC, lead counsel to Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke, told a UK court on Wednesday, January 22, 2026, that his client exercised no real influence over the award of oil contracts during her tenure from 2010 to 2015.
Appearing before Justice Martin Butcher at the High Court in London during a hearing related to ongoing asset forfeiture and money laundering proceedings, Laidlaw argued that the allegations of corruption and abuse of office leveled against Alison-Madueke were overstated and lacked direct evidence linking her to specific contract decisions.
Key points from Laidlaw’s submission: Alison-Madueke did not personally sign or approve individual oil block allocations or licences.
Contract awards were handled by technocrats, committees, and statutory bodies within the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
Any influence she had was limited to broad policy direction, not day-to-day operational decisions on specific licences.
The prosecution’s case relies heavily on circumstantial evidence and “guilt by association” rather than proof of direct involvement in corrupt payments.
The hearing is part of a long-running UK civil forfeiture case in which the National Crime Agency (NCA) seeks to confiscate assets including luxury properties, jewellery, and cash allegedly acquired through corruption during Alison-Madueke’s time in office.
Laidlaw urged the court to dismiss or significantly narrow the claims, arguing that many of the transactions in question were legitimate business dealings or gifts unrelated to her ministerial role.
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The Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Justice and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has been cooperating with UK authorities in the case and has separately pursued criminal charges against Alison-Madueke in Nigeria.
The matter has been adjourned to a later date for further submissions and evidence. No final ruling on the forfeiture or criminal aspects was delivered today.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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