Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been found not guilty of six bribery charges by a London jury, bringing an end to a high-profile corruption trial that spanned more than a decade of investigations.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court after jurors deliberated for more than 46 hours, clearing Alison-Madueke of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The former minister, who served under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, was accused by UK prosecutors of receiving luxury gifts and financial benefits from oil and gas industry figures in exchange for facilitating access to lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
Prosecutors alleged that she benefited from a “life of luxury” in London funded by individuals seeking business advantages in Nigeria’s oil industry, which has long been dogged by corruption concerns.
However, Alison-Madueke consistently denied the allegations, insisting she never received bribes and had no direct influence over contract awards. Her legal team argued that the expenditures referenced by prosecutors were either legitimate reimbursements for official duties or personal expenses she had covered herself.
Her lawyers also described her as being regarded within official circles as “Madame Due Process,” rejecting claims of wrongdoing.
Following the verdict, her legal representatives said she was relieved by the outcome after what they described as an 11-year ordeal away from her family.
“She is finally allowed to resume her private and public life with her reputation restored and enhanced,” the statement said.
Alison-Madueke, the first female Minister of Petroleum Resources in Nigeria, also previously served briefly as President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and has long faced allegations of corruption across multiple jurisdictions.
British authorities had investigated her for over a decade, although prosecutors at trial did not directly claim she awarded contracts improperly, instead arguing that accepting benefits constituted misconduct.
She had also faced separate allegations in the United States, where authorities claimed she influenced oil contracts in exchange for illicit payments. The US Department of Justice in 2017 alleged she used her position to steer contracts to individuals who allegedly paid bribes.
Also acquitted in the case were oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, who were both cleared of related bribery and conspiracy charges.
The National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom has not yet commented on the ruling.
