Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been cleared of all bribery charges after a five-month trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015, was on Wednesday found not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes from persons linked to energy companies and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery while in office.
The jury reached its verdict after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
The former minister, aged 65, was charged by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency in 2023 over allegations that she accepted £100,000 in cash, private jet flights, chauffeur-driven cars and luxury goods from Louis Vuitton and Harrods.
As petroleum minister, Alison-Madueke exercised influence over the award of government oil contracts and, in 2014, became the first female president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Her brother, Doye Agama, was also found not guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, while Nigerian oil industry executive, Olatimbo Ayinde, was cleared of two bribery counts.
The verdict vindicates Alison-Madueke’s long-standing denial of the allegations, which she had repeatedly described as politically motivated.
During the trial, the former minister maintained that she never requested, received or sought any bribe while in office.
“At no time did I ask, take or seek a bribe,” she told the court during her testimony.
“I always sought to act impartially in all that I did,” she added.
Her defence argued that some of the items and services cited by prosecutors were consistent with a culture of gift-giving in Nigeria and not evidence of bribery.
The jury was also told that Alison-Madueke was the target of a major smear campaign by persons opposed to reforms she pursued in the oil sector to increase competition.
When the 11-member jury returned not guilty verdicts on all counts, supporters of the former minister reportedly celebrated in the public gallery and outside the courtroom.
Her solicitor, Mark Bowen, said the former minister had endured years of hardship while awaiting the outcome of the proceedings.
“She has unnecessarily endured the ordeal of being separated from her family over 11 years, effectively kept here as a prisoner whilst awaiting the outcome of these proceedings,” Bowen said in a statement.
He added that Alison-Madueke was now free to resume her private and public life with her reputation restored.
“She is finally allowed to resume her private and public life with her reputation restored and enhanced,” he said.
The verdict is seen as a major setback for the National Crime Agency, whose case was intended to demonstrate the United Kingdom’s ability to prosecute alleged corruption involving foreign public officials and transactions connected to other jurisdictions.
The collapse of the case is expected to raise questions about the agency’s capacity to successfully pursue complex international corruption prosecutions.
Alison-Madueke attended the entire trial, which began in January and continued intermittently until the jury returned its verdict.
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