Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery charges brought against her by UK prosecutors, bringing to a close an 11-year corruption investigation that drew international attention.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found Alison-Madueke not guilty on six counts, including five charges of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, after a trial that lasted several months.
The prosecution had alleged that while serving as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015, Alison-Madueke received lavish benefits and gifts from oil industry figures in exchange for facilitating access to lucrative oil contracts. Prosecutors claimed the former minister enjoyed a luxury lifestyle funded by individuals seeking influence within Nigeria’s oil sector.
ALSO READ Alison-Madueke living ‘life of luxury’ from bribes, UK prosecutors allege
However, the court ultimately cleared her after the jury was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the benefits she received amounted to criminal bribery. During the proceedings, Alison-Madueke consistently denied wrongdoing, maintaining that her expenditures were either personally financed or related to official duties. She also argued that she had adhered to due process during her tenure in office.
A significant factor in the case was the absence of evidence showing that oil contracts were improperly awarded in exchange for the alleged benefits. Reports indicate that UK prosecutors did not present proof that specific contracts were unlawfully influenced or awarded as a result of any alleged payments or gifts.
The verdict also cleared her co-defendants, including her brother, Doye Agama, and oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who faced related charges.
Reacting to the judgment, Alison-Madueke described the verdict as the end of a lengthy legal ordeal that had lasted more than a decade. The acquittal represents a setback for UK authorities, whose investigation had been regarded as one of the country’s most prominent international anti-corruption cases involving a former senior government official.
While the UK criminal case has ended with her acquittal, Alison-Madueke has previously faced separate investigations and asset recovery actions in multiple jurisdictions, including Nigeria and the United States. Those matters are distinct from the bribery charges on which she has now been cleared in the United Kingdom.
