LONDON, United Kingdom — Former Nigerian oil minister and ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke has been acquitted of all bribery charges in a high-profile case that followed a 13-year investigation by British authorities.
A jury at Southwark Crown Court in London found Alison-Madueke, 65, not guilty of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, bringing to an end one of the United Kingdom’s most closely watched corruption prosecutions involving a senior African public official.
The verdict represents a significant setback for the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which had spent more than a decade investigating allegations that the former minister benefited from luxury accommodation, shopping trips and other lavish expenditures allegedly funded by wealthy oil executives.
Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan. She also made history as the first woman to serve as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Defence Challenges Prosecution Case
Throughout the trial, Alison-Madueke denied any wrongdoing and maintained that she never sought or accepted bribes.
Her legal team argued that crucial documents supporting her defence had disappeared in Nigeria and questioned why the prosecution took more than a decade to bring the matter before the court.
The defence further raised concerns about the handling of evidence gathered by Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies and challenged the absence of prosecutions against several oil executives alleged to have been involved in the transactions.
Also acquitted were Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, a Manchester-based archbishop, who had been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, and oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, who faced charges related to bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.
Former Minister Defends Record
During the proceedings, Alison-Madueke portrayed herself as a reform-minded public servant committed to transparency and due process.
She told the court she had earned the nickname “Madam Due Process” because of her strict adherence to rules and procedures while serving in government.
The former minister argued that some of the expenditures cited by prosecutors were not for her personal benefit and said wealthy businessmen occasionally assisted Nigerian officials travelling abroad on official assignments, with reimbursements later made in Nigeria.
A statement from former President Jonathan, submitted to the court, supported claims that third parties sometimes covered transport and accommodation expenses for ministers engaged in official government business overseas.
Questions Remain Over Investigation
The trial exposed several issues surrounding the investigation, including questions about missing evidence, delays in prosecution, and the role of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Defence lawyers argued that Alison-Madueke had effectively remained unable to work or travel freely for more than a decade while awaiting the outcome of the case.
Ayinde’s legal team also maintained that she had acted as an informant for Nigerian authorities during anti-corruption investigations and had provided information that assisted law enforcement agencies.
The jury ultimately rejected the prosecution’s case against all three defendants.
End of a Long Legal Battle
Following the verdict, Alison-Madueke described the acquittal as the conclusion of an ordeal that had overshadowed her life for more than a decade.
“For 11 long, gruelling years this case has hung over my head and has tormented me and my family,” she said in a statement after the ruling.
The judgment closes a lengthy legal chapter involving one of Africa’s most prominent former government officials and is likely to reignite debate about the challenges of prosecuting complex international corruption cases that span multiple jurisdictions.
