Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery charges brought against her by British prosecutors.
Alison-Madueke was cleared on Wednesday by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London after facing six counts related to bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.
The former minister, who served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, had been accused of accepting bribes from oil and gas industry executives in exchange for influence over the award of contracts in Nigeria.
Prosecutors alleged that she enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in London funded by individuals seeking lucrative business deals in Nigeria’s oil sector.
However, Alison-Madueke denied all allegations, insisting that she neither received bribes nor had direct influence over the contract award process.
After more than 46 hours of deliberation, the jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all six charges.
The acquittal marks a significant development in a corruption investigation launched by British authorities more than a decade ago.
Also acquitted were oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who faced two bribery-related counts, and Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, who was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery over alleged payments linked to his church.
Both men had denied the allegations.
Alison-Madueke, a former President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has remained at the centre of several corruption investigations since leaving office in 2015.
