Former Nigerian Oil Minister Diezani Wins UK Court Battle, Acquitted on Six Corruption Counts

June 17, () — Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six corruption charges brought against her in the United Kingdom, ending a landmark bribery trial that had placed one of Nigeria’s most prominent former public officials at the centre of a years-long international corruption investigation.

The verdict was delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, where a jury found Alison-Madueke not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after more than 46 hours of deliberations.

reports that the acquittal extended beyond Alison-Madueke. Her brother, Doye Agama, was found not guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, while co-defendant Olatimbo Ayinde was acquitted on two bribery-related counts.

The 65-year-old former minister, who oversaw Nigeria’s petroleum sector from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had consistently denied all allegations throughout the proceedings.

Alison-Madueke was charged by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency in 2023 over allegations that she received £100,000 in cash and accepted a range of benefits, including private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles and luxury goods from individuals linked to oil and gas companies seeking favourable treatment and access to lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

Prosecutors alleged that the former minister enjoyed what they described as “a life of luxury” funded by businessmen who benefited from her influence while she served as one of the most powerful figures in Nigeria’s oil sector.

The prosecution argued that the benefits constituted bribes connected to government business and oil-related transactions during her tenure.

However, Alison-Madueke rejected the allegations, insisting throughout the trial that she never solicited or accepted bribes and did not exercise the level of control over contract awards alleged by prosecutors.

In her testimony before the court, she argued that some of the gifts and hospitality referenced by prosecutors reflected a culture of gift-giving common in Nigeria rather than corrupt inducements. She also maintained that she had become the target of a sustained smear campaign by interests opposed to reforms she pursued in the petroleum sector.

“At no time did I ask, take or seek a bribe. I always sought to act impartially in all that I did,” Alison-Madueke told the court

The trial took a dramatic turn during closing submissions in May when her lead counsel, Jonathan Laidlaw KC, launched a blistering attack on the prosecution’s case, accusing investigators of relying on questionable evidence, failing to preserve potentially exculpatory materials and engaging in selective prosecution.

Laidlaw questioned why several oil businessmen identified by prosecutors as central figures in the alleged bribery arrangements had not been charged, despite their repeated mention throughout the proceedings.

He argued that Alison-Madueke had effectively been singled out while others allegedly connected to the transactions remained free.

The defence also challenged evidence originating from Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, raising concerns about the handling, preservation and integrity of materials relied upon by prosecutors.

According to the defence, key documents capable of supporting Alison-Madueke’s case had either disappeared or were not properly preserved, while prosecutors were accused of taking contradictory positions regarding the reliability of EFCC-generated evidence.