Oil Execs Deny Bribing Nigerian Minister

0:00On April 2, 8, in a London courtroom, two big-shot oil executives are denying they ever bribed former Nigerian oil minister, the Azzani-Alison-Madouake. Their statements got read out at Southward Crown Court, where she's fighting five bribery counts in a conspiracy charge. The execs, Kevin Okiyer and Eho Sonomi, say any help they gave by covering shopping, was just loans they got paid back in full. Okiyer, a Ghanaian oil CEO, explained he bumped into her at a store in 2014, spotted her short on cash for A, 3,900-pound bill, and fronted it. She reimbursed him in cash later in Aboujah, he told UK investigators. Sonomi chimed in that Nigeria's tough foreign exchange back then, men he grabbed London items for her, all squared up afterward, no strings attached. Meanwhile, ex-president Goodluck Jonathan backed her up in a statement, saying third parties often covered minister's travel costs overseas, with reimbursements handled properly.

1:03He even approved her private jet trips. Azzani-Madouke insists she never favored anyone in contract awards, and that luxury perks were official business expenses. She's wrapped nearly 11 days on the stand, pushing back on claims of Gucci bags and fancy furniture buys, like a 170,000-pound antiques haul. She told the court no one risks their career for handbags, and blames seized papers and political foes in Nigeria for slowing her defense since her, 2015 arrest. Her brother, a former archbishop, and another oil exec, face-related charges too, all denying wrongdoing. As this corruption saga unfolds, eyes stay glued on how it shakes out for Nigeria's oil elite. That's her global news today update, AI-powered and always on.