Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her by British prosecutors, ending a lengthy corruption trial that drew international attention and lasted several months in London.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London returned not-guilty verdicts on all counts after more than 46 hours of deliberation. The former minister, who served under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, had faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
British prosecutors alleged that Alison-Madueke received luxury benefits, including high-end properties, private jet travel, chauffeur services, shopping trips, and other privileges from oil and gas executives seeking business opportunities in Nigeria’s petroleum sector. However, throughout the trial, she consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that she neither solicited nor accepted bribes and had no direct role in determining the award of oil contracts.
The verdict marks a significant setback for British authorities, particularly the UK’s National Crime Agency, which had investigated the former OPEC president for more than a decade. The case was one of the most high-profile international corruption prosecutions involving a former African cabinet minister.
Also cleared of related charges were Nigerian oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, who had both denied any wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.
Reacting to the verdict, Alison-Madueke’s legal team said the former minister was grateful to the jury and can now resume her private and public life after years of legal battles. The acquittal brings to a close one of the longest-running investigations linked to Nigeria’s oil industry and corruption allegations dating back to her tenure in office.
The judgment is expected to generate widespread reactions across Nigeria’s political and legal circles, given the prominence of the case and the years of scrutiny that followed Alison-Madueke after leaving office in 2015.
