A London jury has found former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, not guilty on all six bribery charges brought against her in a closely watched corruption trial.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday after more than 46 hours of jury deliberations, marks the end of a high-profile case that had been under investigation by British authorities for more than a decade. Prosecutors had alleged that Alison-Madueke accepted luxury benefits, including high-end accommodation and shopping trips, from individuals seeking favourable treatment in the award of lucrative oil and gas contracts while she served as Nigeria’s oil minister between 2010 and 2015.
Alison-Madueke consistently denied the allegations throughout the trial, insisting she neither solicited nor accepted bribes and had no direct influence over the award of contracts.
Her co-defendants, oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, were also acquitted of all charges.
The ruling represents a significant setback for British prosecutors in one of the UK’s most prominent cross-border corruption cases involving a former senior African government official.
