A former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke was acquitted on Wednesday of six bribery charges following a high-profile corruption trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
Alison-Madueke, who served as minister from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, but she denied all charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Diezani Alison-Madueke, 65, was given “a life of luxury” in London by oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, a country that has long struggled with corruption and mismanagement.
However, the former minister, who also briefly served as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never received any bribes and had no real influence over the awarding of government contracts.
Following proceedings at Southwark Crown Court in London, a jury acquitted Alison-Madueke of all six charges after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
The not-guilty verdict, according to Reuters, represents a setback for British authorities, who began investigating corruption allegations against her more than a decade ago.
Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and another count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Her brother, Doye Agama, 69, was also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery alongside her, relating to alleged payments made to Agama’s church.
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Both Ayinde and Agama denied the charges and were also acquitted by the jury.
The former minister was standing trial over allegations of corruption, having been charged in 2023 with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
UK prosecutors say the charges are linked to the awarding of oil and gas contracts during her tenure as petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015.
She relocated to the United Kingdom after the defeat of the People’s Democratic Party in Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election. She also faces multiple corruption cases in Nigeria, some of which have stalled due to her absence.
Nigerian courts, however, have ordered the forfeiture of assets worth billions of naira linked to her.
In January, Nigerian oil contractors opulently funded Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s lavish UK lifestyle.
Prosecutors allege that several Nigerian businessmen funded lavish expenses on her behalf, including more than £2 million spent at Harrods and about £4.6 million spent on refurbishing properties in London and Buckinghamshire.
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