Diezani Alison-Madueke acquitted of all bribery charges in London

Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria's former petroleum minister, walked free from Southwark Crown Court in London on Wednesday after a jury acquitted her of all six bribery charges.

The 65-year-old, who ran Nigeria's oil ministry under President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. She'd denied all charges from the start.

Prosecutors said oil industry figures gave Alison-Madueke "a life of luxury" in London in exchange for lucrative Nigerian oil contracts. But the former minister insisted she never took bribes and had no real say in awarding government contracts.

The jury took more than 46 hours to reach their verdict. They also cleared two other defendants: oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced bribery charges linked to Alison-Madueke, and her brother Doye Agama, 69, who was accused of conspiracy to accept bribes paid to his church.

All three denied wrongdoing. The not-guilty verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, who spent over a decade investigating corruption allegations against the former minister.

Alison-Madueke briefly served as President of OPEC during her tenure. She was first arrested in London in 2015 and had been on bail while the case dragged through UK courts.

What the charges were about

The UK's National Crime Agency alleged that between 2010 and 2015, Alison-Madueke accepted cash, luxury goods, property, and other benefits from oil traders seeking contracts in Nigeria. The charges covered five specific bribe payments and one conspiracy count.

Prosecutors argued she used her position to influence the award of oil deals. Her defence team countered that she lacked the authority to single-handedly decide contract winners — a claim the jury apparently accepted.

What happens next

With the acquittal, Alison-Madueke is free to leave the UK or remain as she chooses. The UK authorities can't appeal a not-guilty verdict.

Back in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has its own long-running case against her. In 2022, a Nigerian court ordered the final forfeiture of assets worth over $40 million linked to her, including properties in Lagos and Abuja. It's unclear whether Wednesday's London verdict will affect those proceedings.

"I never received any bribes and had no real influence over the awarding of government contracts," Alison-Madueke said during the trial.

The case has been closely watched in Nigeria, where Alison-Madueke's name became shorthand for oil sector corruption. The acquittal doesn't erase the billions of dollars Nigerian officials say were stolen from state oil revenues during her time in office.