Key facts
- Former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was found not guilty of six bribery charges.
- The verdict followed a decade-long investigation by British authorities.
- Prosecutors alleged Alison-Madueke accepted bribes from industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria.
- Alison-Madueke's defense argued she never took bribes and had no influence over contract awards.
- Oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke's brother Doye Agama were also acquitted of related charges.
Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria's former minister for petroleum resources, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges by a London jury, concluding a decade-long investigation into corruption allegations. The verdict marks a significant setback for British authorities who initiated the probe over ten years ago.
Alison-Madueke, who served from 2010 to 2015 under then-President Goodluck Jonathan, faced charges including accepting bribes and conspiracy to commit bribery. Prosecutors alleged she enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle funded by industry figures seeking contracts in Nigeria, a country long plagued by corruption. However, the former minister, who also chaired OPEC, maintained her innocence, stating she never accepted bribes and had no control over contract awards.
Her defense team argued that the expenditures cited by the prosecution were either reimbursed by the Nigerian state for official duties or covered by herself for personal expenses. Alison-Madueke testified that she was regarded as 'Madame Due Process.' Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court that commenced in January, the jury deliberated for over 46 hours before reaching its not-guilty verdicts.
In a statement, Alison-Madueke described the case as a 'nightmare' that had 'tormented' her and her family for 11 years, expressing relief that the 'relentless and unjust vilification' had ended. A spokesperson for Britain's National Crime Agency stated they respected the jury's decision.
Alison-Madueke navigated several scandals and investigations during her tenure, including probes into the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, before leaving office in 2015. U.S. authorities had also alleged that proceeds from illicitly awarded contracts were laundered through the United States. While British prosecutors focused on the impropriety of accepting benefits, the U.S. Department of Justice had previously stated in 2017 that Alison-Madueke used her influence to steer lucrative oil contracts to executives who paid her bribes.
Also on trial were oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who was acquitted of one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribing a foreign public official, and Alison-Madueke's brother, Doye Agama, who was acquitted of conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister concerning payments to his church.
The trial had nearly collapsed prior to jury deliberations due to allegations made by Ayinde, who claimed she was a 'whistleblower' reporting corruption to current President Bola Tinubu. Ayinde had been accused of bribing Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, former managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. She contended she reported an approach for a bribe to Nigerian authorities, who advised her to 'play along.' Despite Ayinde's attempt to have the charge dismissed, the judge ruled against her, and the jury subsequently cleared her of both charges.