Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery charges brought against her by British prosecutors, bringing to a close one of the most closely watched international corruption trials involving a former Nigerian public official.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all six counts after more than 46 hours of deliberations, clearing the former minister of allegations that she accepted bribes from oil and gas industry figures in exchange for influence over lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector. (Reuters)
British prosecutors had charged Alison-Madueke with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, alleging that she benefited from luxury properties, shopping sprees and other lavish benefits while serving as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015. (Reuters)
Throughout the trial, the former minister consistently denied the allegations, insisting that she neither solicited nor accepted bribes and had no direct control over the award of government contracts.
“At no time did I ask, take, or seek a bribe or bribes of any sort,” Alison-Madueke told the court during her testimony. (Reuters)
The prosecution had argued that oil and gas industry figures provided luxury benefits to the former minister in return for favourable treatment and access to contracts, but her defence team maintained that she acted within official government processes and did not abuse her office. (Reuters)
The verdict also cleared two other defendants who stood trial alongside Alison-Madueke — oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama — of related bribery charges. (Reuters)
The acquittal marks the end of a legal battle that attracted significant attention in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom, given Alison-Madueke’s prominent role in Nigeria’s oil industry and her position as a former president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). (Reuters)
With Wednesday’s verdict, the former minister walks free of all charges in the UK case, ending years of scrutiny by British authorities over allegations linked to her time in office.
