Former President Goodluck Jonathan has defended the use of private jets by former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, telling a UK court that he approved some of the trips while she was in office.
According to the BBC, the statement was presented during proceedings on Tuesday.
In the statement, Mr Jonathan told the court that it was not unusual for third parties to make payments on behalf of ministers during official trips abroad.
He also said he approved Alison-Madueke’s use of private jets for some foreign trips while she served in his administration.
“Any properly incurred incidental or in-kind assistance from third parties would be recorded and reimbursed where applicable,” Jonathan said in the statement, according to the BBC.
Alison-Madueke was minister of petroleum resources from 2010 to 2015 under Jonathan’s administration.
She is standing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive and Doye Agama, her brother.
The three defendants are facing a five-count charge relating to the alleged acceptance of bribes. They have all pleaded not guilty.
British prosecutors had earlier accused Alison-Madueke of accepting benefits in the form of luxury goods and use of properties from people seeking favourable treatment in oil contracts.
During the hearing, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to Alison-Madueke, told the court that his client had no real influence over the award of oil contracts while she was minister.
Statements by Nigerian businessman Igho Sanomi and Ghanaian businessman Kevin Okyere were also read in court. Both men denied paying bribes to the former minister.
According to the BBC, prosecutors believe Sanomi and Okyere were among people who funded some of Alison-Madueke’s purchases and accommodation.
They were not present in court when their statements were read.
Okyere, in a statement made to investigators of the National Crime Agency in June 2016, said he paid £3,900 for items bought by Alison-Madueke at Peter Jones store in 2014.
He said she did not have enough money at the checkout point and that the amount was later repaid to him in cash at his office in Abuja.
Okyere denied the bribery allegation and described it as “completely untrue.”
He is the founder of Springfield Group, an oil company in Ghana.
Sanomi also gave a statement to investigators in June 2017. He said he bought items in London on behalf of Alison-Madueke and was later reimbursed.
Sanomi added that his companies won contracts through fair bidding and that Alison-Madueke was not improperly involved in any allocation.
The trial is continuing.
