Diezani allegedly spent £2m renovating luxury London home, UK court hears

A former UK building contractor has told a London court that his company renovated and managed a high-value property in North London allegedly used by Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources.

The testimony was given at the Southwark Crown Court as Alison-Madueke’s alleged bribery trial continued. She is standing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and Doye Agama, her brother, on five counts related to accepting bribes. All defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Tony Mulcahy, a former director of Bear Rock Construction Ltd, said his firm carried out extensive refurbishment works between 2011 and 2014 on several luxury properties linked to the former minister and her family.

According to Mulcahy, Bear Rock was engaged by Kolawole Aluko, a Nigerian businessman, to oversee major renovations at 39 Chester Close in North London. Aluko is a petroleum and aviation magnate named in the Panama Papers alongside other Nigerian oil executives, politicians, and officials.

Mulcahy told the court that the renovation of the Chester Close property cost about £2 million. He said the building was fitted with a residential lift because Alison-Madueke’s mother had mobility challenges, while the top floor was designated for the minister’s son.

He added that he had direct dealings with Alison-Madueke, including meetings at the property where materials such as stone samples and fabric swatches were reviewed. Text messages exchanged in early 2014 over lighting choices were shown in court, with Mulcahy confirming that he had her personal mobile number.

A key part of Mulcahy’s evidence focused on financial difficulties his company allegedly faced due to delayed and incomplete payments from Aluko. He described a repeated pattern of payment requests followed by assurances that were not fulfilled, saying that by December 2013 Bear Rock was close to collapse.

Mulcahy told the court that after a promised £200,000 payment failed to arrive, the company withheld a large delivery from Harrods that was in storage, using it as leverage. The money was paid shortly afterwards.

He said the situation continued into 2014. In April, he emailed Aluko to complain that unpaid bills were “ruining us” and asked whether he should contact Alison-Madueke directly. Mulcahy said Aluko advised him to write a formal letter to the former minister.

According to his testimony, he personally delivered the letter to Alison-Madueke’s residence at St Edmund’s Terrace. About a week later, a payment of £270,000 was made through Atlantic Energy, a company linked to Aluko.

Mulcahy also recounted being invited by Aluko to a meeting at One Hyde Park, one of London’s most expensive residential addresses, an invitation he said angered him given the outstanding debts.

Emails presented in court suggested that Tenka Limited, another Aluko-linked company, paid expenses for properties allegedly used by Alison-Madueke. These included staff salaries, utility bills, and maintenance costs. One internal email from May 2013 instructed staff to replace references to “HM” meaning Honourable Minister with “Clients” in company records.

Mulcahy told the court that he later tried to recover outstanding debts through Donald Amamgbo, whom he understood to be a lawyer. Despite several meetings, Bear Rock Construction eventually went into voluntary liquidation.

Earlier proceedings

In earlier sessions, British prosecutors told the court that Alison-Madueke spent £140,000 on luxury furniture and decorative items in a single day. Prosecutors alleged that she received bribes in the form of luxury goods and access to high-end properties from figures seeking oil contracts in Nigeria.

Alexandra Healy, a prosecutor, said the former minister “enjoyed a life of luxury in London” provided by individuals with interests in Nigeria’s oil sector.

However, on January 29, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to Alison-Madueke, argued that his client had little real influence over the awarding of oil contracts while in office, describing her role as that of a “rubber stamp” for official recommendations.