UK court acquits Alison-Madueke of all bribery charges
London’s Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday acquitted Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of six bribery charges.
Alison-Madueke, who served as minister from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. She denied all charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Alison-Madueke, 65, was given “a life of luxury” in London by oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, a country that has long struggled with corruption and mismanagement.
However, the former minister, who also briefly served as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said she never received any bribes and had no real influence over the awarding of government contracts.
Following proceedings at Southwark Crown Court in London, a jury acquitted Alison-Madueke of all six charges after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
The not-guilty verdict, according to Reuters, represents a setback for British authorities, who began investigating corruption allegations against her more than a decade ago.
Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and another count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Her brother, Doye Agama, 69, was also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery alongside her, relating to alleged payments made to Agama’s church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied the charges and were also acquitted by the jury.
