Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery-related charges filed against her in the United Kingdom after a London jury found her not guilty on every count.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, brings an end to a high-profile corruption case that had been under investigation by British authorities for more than a decade.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, who headed Nigeria’s petroleum ministry between 2010 and 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, was cleared of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The 65-year-old former minister had consistently rejected the allegations throughout the proceedings.
British prosecutors alleged that she benefited from an extravagant lifestyle funded by individuals in the oil and gas industry who were allegedly seeking preferential treatment and access to lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
According to the prosecution, the benefits included luxury shopping, expensive property renovations and access to high-end residences in the UK.
They argued that these advantages were provided in exchange for influence over government decisions and contract awards.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, however, maintained that she never accepted bribes and had no direct authority over the awarding of contracts.
After deliberating for more than 46 hours, the jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all six charges, according to Reuters.
The outcome is a significant blow to British investigators, whose probe into the former minister’s activities began over 10 years ago.
During her time in office, Mrs Alison-Madueke was one of the most powerful figures in Nigeria’s oil industry and also served as president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
She was tried alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced charges linked to the alleged bribery scheme involving the former minister.
The ruling effectively concludes one of the most prominent international corruption cases involving a former Nigerian government official.
Background
Mrs Alison-Madueke was charged in 2023 with five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery over allegations connected to oil and gas contracts awarded during her tenure as petroleum minister.
Prosecutors claimed that several Nigerian businessmen financed aspects of her lifestyle in the UK, including more than £2 million spent at Harrods and approximately £4.6 million used to renovate properties in London and Buckinghamshire.
The prosecution further alleged that some of the transactions were carried out using payment cards associated with Nigerian businessman Kolawole Aluko and his company, Tenka Limited.
Among the properties referenced during the trial were a £2.8 million home in Marylebone, residences overlooking Regent’s Park and what prosecutors described as a grand property in Buckinghamshire.
Taking the stand in her defence, Mrs Alison-Madueke denied any wrongdoing, insisting that expenses incurred during official engagements were reimbursed by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
“I can state categorically that at no point did I ask for, take or receive a bribe of any sort… and did not abuse my office,” she said during one of her court hearings, according to BBC.
She also told the court that a logistics company was established in London to coordinate official arrangements because of what she described as deficiencies in the NNPC’s financial structure at the time.
Mrs Alison-Madueke relocated to the UK following the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 presidential election. While she still faces a number of corruption-related cases in Nigeria, some of those proceedings have been delayed due to her absence from the country.
Nigerian courts have, however, ordered the forfeiture of assets worth billions of naira linked to the former minister.
Wednesday’s verdict closes a lengthy chapter in the UK investigation and represents a major setback for prosecutors who had pursued the case for years.
