Alison-Madueke Acquitted Of All Bribery Charges In London

A London court has cleared former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke of all bribery allegations, ending a lengthy corruption trial that also saw two co-defendants acquitted of related charges.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery charges brought against her in the United Kingdom following a high-profile trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

The former minister, who served under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, faced six criminal charges, including five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke consistently denied the allegations throughout the proceedings, maintaining that she neither accepted bribes nor exercised improper influence in the award of government contracts during her tenure.

Prosecutors had alleged that the former minister enjoyed luxury benefits and lavish hospitality from oil and gas industry figures seeking access to lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.

They argued that the benefits amounted to bribes intended to influence official decisions relating to the award of contracts.

However, Alison-Madueke’s defence team rejected the allegations, insisting that the prosecution had failed to establish any direct link between the alleged benefits and the awarding of contracts.

Following more than 46 hours of deliberation, the jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all six counts against the former minister.

The verdict brings to a close one of the most closely watched international corruption cases involving a former Nigerian public official.

Also acquitted were oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, who had faced related charges during the trial.

Ayinde was accused of bribery offences connected to Alison-Madueke, while Agama was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery over alleged payments linked to a church.

Both men denied wrongdoing and were cleared of all allegations by the jury.

The acquittals represent a significant legal victory for the defendants and mark the end of a case that British authorities had pursued for more than a decade following investigations into alleged corruption in Nigeria’s oil sector.

Alison-Madueke also made history during her public service career as the first female President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).