Diezani Alison‑Madueke, the former Nigerian petroleum minister, has been acquitted on all six bribery charges brought by UK prosecutors after a high‑profile trial in London.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday found her not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, after more than 46 hours of deliberation. Alison‑Madueke, who ran Nigeria’s oil ministry from 2010 to 2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan, has consistently denied the allegations.
British prosecutors said the 65‑year‑old received luxury benefits in London from people in the oil and gas industry who wanted access to lucrative Nigerian contracts. They said those benefits were part of an alleged bribery scheme. Alison‑Madueke maintained she never accepted bribes and argued she had no direct influence over the award of government contracts.
The trial also involved oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, accused of one count of bribery relating to Alison‑Madueke and a separate charge of bribing a foreign public official; he denied the allegations and was acquitted. Alison‑Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery over payments allegedly made to his church; he also denied wrongdoing and was found not guilty.
The acquittals are a setback for British authorities, whose probe into alleged corruption linked to Alison‑Madueke goes back more than a decade. The case drew big attention in Nigeria and the UK because of her past power in the global energy sector.
It was previously reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United States had formalised an agreement to repatriate assets linked to Alison‑Madueke and her associates. Ozekhome argued the former minister was never involved in the purchase, use, or sale of those assets.
