Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her by a London court, bringing to an end a high-profile corruption trial that followed more than a decade of investigations by British authorities.
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 a trial that began in January.
The ruling marks a significant setback for UK prosecutors, whose investigation into corruption allegations involving the former minister stretched back more than 11 years.
Alison-Madueke, 65, served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan. She also made history as the first woman to hold the position and briefly served as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
During the trial, prosecutors alleged that she enjoyed “a life of luxury” in London funded by oil and gas executives seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria. They claimed she accepted a range of benefits in exchange for influence over contract awards.
The former minister denied all allegations, insisting she never accepted bribes and had no improper influence over the award of oil contracts.
Her defence team argued that many of the expenses cited by prosecutors were either reimbursed by the Nigerian government for official duties or personally paid for by Alison-Madueke. She also described herself during the trial as “Madame Due Process,” maintaining that she upheld transparency throughout her time in office.
After more than 46 hours of jury deliberations, the court acquitted her on all charges.
In a statement issued through her spokesperson following the verdict, Alison-Madueke said the legal battle had taken a heavy toll on her and her family.
“For 11 long, gruelling years this case has hung over my head and has tormented me and my family,” she said.
“But today, the past decade of relentless and unjust vilification, condemnation and scrutiny has finally come to an end.”
Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which led the investigation, said it respected the jury’s decision.
The acquittal comes despite years of international scrutiny over Alison-Madueke’s tenure at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), where she faced multiple corruption allegations before leaving office in 2015 after President Jonathan’s electoral defeat.
The former minister had also been the subject of investigations by the United States Department of Justice, which alleged in 2017 that she used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts in exchange for bribes. However, British prosecutors did not allege during the trial that contracts had been improperly awarded, focusing instead on whether it was unlawful for her to receive the benefits in question.
The trial also saw the acquittal of oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who faced one count of bribery involving Alison-Madueke and another relating to the alleged bribery of a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, was likewise found not guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery over payments made to his church.
The proceedings had nearly collapsed before reaching a verdict after disputes over evidence and claims by Ayinde that she had reported alleged corruption to Nigerian authorities before President Bola Tinubu assumed office. The judge ultimately allowed the trial to continue, and the jury cleared all the defendants.
Reacting to the outcome, anti-corruption campaign group Spotlight on Corruption described the verdict as highlighting the challenges prosecutors face in pursuing complex corruption cases involving senior political figures.
“This case has exposed just how tough it is to investigate and prosecute alleged corruption involving political elites,” said Zainab Saleem of the organization.
