A former UK building contractor has provided detailed testimony at Southwark Crown Court about the extensive renovation of a high‑end London property allegedly linked to Diezani Alison‑Madueke, Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, as her ongoing bribery trial continues.
Gatekeepers News reports that on the fifth day of proceedings, Tony Mulcahy, ex‑director of Bear Rock Construction Ltd, told the court his firm was contracted to carry out major refurbishment works on a North London residence reportedly used by Alison‑Madueke and members of her family. Mulcahy said the project, which took place between 2011 and 2014, involved structural upgrades and luxury fittings valued at about £2 million.
Mulcahy explained that Bear Rock was engaged by Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko, a petroleum and aviation entrepreneur whose name appeared in the Panama Papers leak alongside other prominent figures, to manage renovations at 39 Chester Close, an upscale home in the area.
As part of the works, the property was fitted with features, including a residential lift reportedly installed to accommodate mobility issues faced by Alison‑Madueke’s mother, and the top floor was designed for use by her son.
The contractor told jurors that he met directly with Alison‑Madueke on several occasions at the London property to discuss materials, including stone finishes and interior fabrics. Court‑presented text messages from early 2014, which Mulcahy confirmed were exchanged with her personal number, addressed lighting and décor decisions.
A substantial portion of Mulcahy’s testimony focused on the company’s financial struggles, which he attributed to delayed and incomplete payments from Aluko. He detailed cycles of promised payments that were not honoured, pushing Bear Rock toward insolvency by late 2013. At one point, he said, the firm withheld a large delivery from Harrods as leverage to secure a promised £200,000 payment that was subsequently made.
Mulcahy described an April 2014 email to Aluko warning that “unpaid bills were ruining us,” and recounted being directed to write to Alison‑Madueke for assistance. He said he personally delivered the letter to her residence on St Edmund’s Terrace, after which a £270,000 payment was made through Aluko’s company Atlantic Energy about a week later.
The witness also recalled being taken by Aluko to a meeting at One Hyde Park, one of London’s most prestigious addresses, a gesture he found galling given the contractor’s mounting unpaid bills. Emails shown to the court suggested that Tenka Limited, another Aluko‑linked company, handled ongoing expenses related to several properties allegedly occupied by Alison‑Madueke, including staff wages and utilities. Internal correspondence instructed staff to replace references to “HM” (Honourable Minister) with “Clients” in financial records. Mulcahy said he later enlisted lawyer Donald Amambo to help recover outstanding debts, but despite multiple meetings, Bear Rock Construction ultimately entered voluntary liquidation.
During earlier parts of the trial, British prosecutors outlined how Alison‑Madueke allegedly enjoyed lavish expenditures, including reportedly spending £140,000 on luxury furnishings and artwork in a single day. Prosecutors told jurors that she benefited from bribes in the form of high‑end goods and use of luxury properties provided by industry figures seeking favour in Nigeria’s oil sector.
Defence counsel Jonathan Laidlaw has maintained that Alison‑Madueke had limited influence over oil contract awards in office, describing her as a rubber stamp for recommendations rather than a decision‑maker.
Alison‑Madueke, Olatimbo Ayinde, an oil executive, and her brother Doye Agama are jointly facing five counts related to accepting bribes. All have pleaded not guilty.
