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Diezani Alison-Madueke is accused of living “a life of luxury” in the UK at properties paid for and refurbished by industry figures.
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Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, told Southwark Crown Court on Monday that she had "tried to push back on corruption" in a country plagued by it since the days it was a British colony.
Several Nigerian businessmen are alleged to have bankrolled huge spending sprees, including more than £2m at luxury store Harrods and £4.6m on refurbishing homes in London and Buckinghamshire.
But the ex-minister said that the cost of services laid on for her while on official duties were later repaid.
"I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort from these persons and did not abuse my office," Alison-Madueke told the court.
She said money spent on her behalf was reimbursed by the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), adding that a service company was set up in London to handle the logistics because the financial structure of the NNPC was in a mess.
"They paid for all my hotels, chauffeurs... to allow me to perform the job that I did," she said.
The prosecution's case is based on allegations that Alison-Madueke was given access to a "grand" home in Buckinghamshire, a £2.8 million home in Marylebone, and multi-million pound homes overlooking Regent's Park, and allegedly benefited from renovations valued at £4.6m.
The court heard how she and her extended family spent five days over Christmas 2011 at a house in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, because her ex-husband required hospital treatment and could not fly back to Nigeria.
She said she was not involved in the arrangements for the stay.
A second visit, she said, was over two weeks when she and 10 to 12 officials wrote a book praising the Nigerian president's championing of women.
"I took it upon myself to put together that book to showcase what he did for women," she said.
Alison-Madueke said another property overlooking Rege
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