UK Court acquits Diezani Alison-Madueke of all bribery charges after 12-week trial

● Southwark Crown Court jury clears ex-petroleum minister of five bribery counts and conspiracy after 46 hours of deliberation

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke has been acquitted of all six bribery charges filed against her in the United Kingdom, ending a 12-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

A jury cleared the 65-year-old ex-minister Wednesday on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The verdict came after 46 hours of deliberations.

–‘The allegations—

Prosecutors alleged Alison-Madueke, petroleum minister under President Goodluck Jonathan from 2010 to 2015, received benefits from oil and gas executives seeking favoirable treatment on Nigerian contracts between 2011 and 2015.

The Crown told the court she lived a luxury London lifestyle allegedly funded by:
1. £100,000 in cash
2. £2m+ on luxury shopping at Harrods
3. £4.6m for property refurbishments
4. Payments for household staff at homes in London and Buckinghamshire
5. Private jet travel and chauffeur-driven cars

If convicted under UK anti-bribery laws, she faced up to 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

–The defence–

Alison-Madueke denied all allegations. Her legal team argued she neither requested nor accepted bribes and did not abuse her office.

They claimed the case was politically motivated and that investigators misrepresented payments and benefits linked to her.

Justice Justine Thornton presided over the trial.

–Co-defendants also cleared–

Oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother Doye Agama were tried alongside her.

Ayinde faced one bribery count related to the ex-minister and another involving bribery of a foreign public official.

Agama was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery over alleged payments linked to his church.

Both men denied the charges and were also acquitted by the jury.

—Context—

The case was one of the UK’s highest-profile foreign bribery trials involving a former African cabinet minister.

Alison-Madueke has faced multiple corruption investigations in Nigeria and other jurisdictions since leaving office in 2015.

This UK verdict relates specifically to the Southwark Crown Court bribery charges.