Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her by UK prosecutors, bringing an end to a high-profile corruption trial that spanned several weeks in London.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday returned not guilty verdicts on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had consistently denied the allegations throughout the trial.
What they are saying
British prosecutors alleged that the 65-year-old former minister received a range of luxury benefits in London from individuals in the oil and gas industry who were seeking access to lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
- According to the prosecution, the benefits formed part of an alleged bribery scheme involving influential figures in the energy industry.
- However, Alison-Madueke maintained that she never accepted bribes and argued that she had no direct influence over the award of government contracts as alleged by prosecutors.
After a trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Alison-Madueke was acquitted by a jury of all six charges she faced after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
More insights
The case also involved oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who faced one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate charge of bribing a foreign public official.
- Ayinde denied the allegations and was acquitted on all counts.
- In addition, Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery in connection with payments allegedly made to his church.
Agama also denied wrongdoing and was found not guilty by the jury.
The acquittal marks a significant setback for British authorities, whose investigation into alleged corruption involving Alison-Madueke dates back more than a decade.
- The former minister has remained a central figure in several corruption-related investigations linked to her time overseeing Nigeria’s oil sector, though the UK jury’s verdict clears her of the criminal charges brought in the London trial.
The case attracted significant attention both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom due to Alison-Madueke’s former role as one of the most powerful figures in Nigeria’s oil industry and her prominence within the global energy sector.
What you should know
Nairametrics previously reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United States had formalized an agreement for the repatriation of assets linked to Alison-Madueke and her associates.
Ozekhome argued that the former Minister was never involved in the purchase, use, or sale of the assets linked to her.
