A contractor in the United Kingdom has told a Southwark Crown Courthow his firm renovated and managed luxury property allegedly used by Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s former minister of petroleum resources.
Alison-Madueke is facing trial alongside Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive; and Doye Agama, her brother; on a five-count charge bordering on accepting bribes.
They threw have pleaded not guilty.
Giving evidence on the fifth day of the trial, Tony Mulcahy, a former director of Bear Rock Construction Ltd, said the company carried out extensive refurbishment works between 2011 and 2014 on several high-value property linked to the ex-minister and her family.
Mulcahy told the court that Bear Rock was hired by Kolawole Aluko, a businessman, to oversee major renovations at 39 Chester Close, North London.
Aluko is a petroleum and aviation mogul who was part of a constellation of Nigerian oil executives, state governors, cabinet ministers, military officials, and tribal chiefs mentioned in the Panama Papers leak.
According to floor plans tendered before the court, the property was fitted with a residential lift, which Mulcahy said was installed because Alison-Madueke’s mother had mobility issues.
He said the top floor of the building was allocated to the minister’s son and that the renovation cost about £2 million.
Mulcahy also told the court 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 relating to lighting choices were shown to the court, with Mulcahy confirming that he had Alison-Madueke’s personal mobile number.
A significant part of his testimony centred on financial difficulties allegedly caused by delayed and incomplete payments from Aluko.
Mulcahy described what he called a recurring cycle of requests for payment followed by assurances that were not met. By December 2013, he said Bear Rock was “on the brink”, which he explained meant “going under”.
He told the court that after Aluko promised a £200,000 payment that failed to arrive as agreed, the company withheld a large delivery from Harrods that was being stored, using it as “leverage” to recover the funds. The £200,000 was paid shortly afterwards.
The witness said the company’s financial challenges persisted into 2014. In April of that year, he emailed Aluko, warning that unpaid bills were “ruining us” and asking whether he should contact Alison-Madueke directly.
According to Mulcahy, Aluko advised him to write a formal letter to the then minister. He said he personally delivered the letter to her residence at St Edmund’s Terrace, after which a payment of £270,000 was made about a week later through Aluko’s company, Atlantic Energy.
Mulcahy also recounted being invited by Aluko to a meeting at One Hyde Park, one of London’s most expensive addresses.
“It really annoyed me,” he said.
“Here is a man who is owing me money, and he invites me to meet him at One Hyde Park.”
Emails presented in court suggested that Tenka Limited, another company linked to Aluko, handled expenses for properties allegedly used by Alison-Madueke, including staff wages, utility bills and maintenance costs.
One internal email from May 2013 instructed staff to replace references to “HM” (Honourable Minister) with “Clients” in account records.
Mulcahy told the court that he later sought to recover the outstanding debts through Donald Amamgbo, whom he was introduced to as a lawyer.
Despite several meetings, he said Bear Rock Construction eventually went into voluntary liquidation.
Earlier, British prosecutors detailed to the court how the ex-government official spent £140,000 on luxury furniture and decorative art in a single day.
During the court proceedings on January 27, prosecutors told the court that Alison-Madueke accepted bribes in the form of luxury goods and use of high-level properties from industry figures.
Alexandra Healy, a prosecutor, had told the jurors that the defendant “enjoyed a life of luxury in London”, which was provided by those interested in oil contracts in Nigeria.
On January 29, Jonathan Laidlaw, counsel to Alison-Madueke, told the court that his client had no real influence on award of oil contracts during her stint in office.
Laidlaw had said Alison-Madueke was just a “rubber stamp” for official recommendation.
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