Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery-related charges brought against her in a United Kingdom court after a closely watched corruption trial.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on six counts against the 65-year-old former minister, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Alison-Madueke had denied all allegations throughout the trial.
Prosecutors alleged that during her tenure as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, she received lavish benefits from oil and gas industry executives seeking access to lucrative contracts. The prosecution claimed she enjoyed a luxury lifestyle in London in return for exerting influence over the award of energy deals.
In her defence, Alison-Madueke argued that she neither accepted bribes nor possessed the authority to single-handedly award government contracts. After more than 46 hours of deliberations, the jury cleared her of all charges.
The verdict represents a major setback for British investigators, whose probe into allegations involving the former minister spanned more than a decade. Alison-Madueke also made history as the first woman to serve as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Two co-defendants were also acquitted. Oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde was found not guilty of bribery-related offences, while Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, was cleared of conspiracy to commit bribery allegations linked to donations allegedly made to his church.
The ruling brings to a close one of the most prominent corruption cases involving a former senior Nigerian government official in the United Kingdom.
