Former Minister charged with money laundering

Nigeria’s former Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and three election officials have been charged with money laundering. Alison-Madueke, described as ‘at large’ on the charge sheet, is accused of bribing members of the National Electoral Commission before the 2015 national election. A report on the Africa News site notes that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed that she is accused of diverting funds from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. In February, a Federal High Court in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, issued an order allowing the EFCC to confiscate more than $150m belonging to her. She was arrested in London in October 2015 as part of a UK investigation into money laundering. At the time, she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer.