UK court acquittal of Diezani wake-up call for Nigeria’s justice system – CISLAC

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has described the acquittal of former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by a Southwark Crown Court in London as a wake-up call for Nigeria to strengthen its fight against corruption.

A statement by its Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, also known as Rafsanjani, said: “CISLAC respects the verdict of the British jury, but this outcome should serve as a clarion call for Nigeria to strengthen its domestic justice and accountability mechanisms.”

The organisation stated that Alison-Madueke’s acquittal on six counts of bribery and conspiracy does not erase longstanding concerns over governance failures and institutional weaknesses identified in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector between 2011 and 2015.

“The acquittal does not erase the systemic governance failures and accountability gaps that characterised Nigeria’s oil and gas sector during the period under review,” Rafsanjani said.

CISLAC noted that the case highlighted the difficulties often encountered in securing convictions against senior public officials, particularly where evidence relies largely on circumstantial indicators and lifestyle patterns.

According to the organisation, the court held that prosecutors failed to prove that the luxury assets and benefits allegedly received by the former minister were directly linked to the abuse of her public office.

“The case demonstrates the complexity of prosecuting high-level corruption cases where evidence is largely circumstantial and based on patterns of conduct rather than direct proof,” the statement added.

CISLAC urged Nigerian authorities to focus more on investigating and prosecuting corruption cases domestically, while questioning why several allegations relating to public sector activities in Nigeria have not resulted in successful prosecutions within the country.

The organisation commended the collaboration between foreign anti-corruption agencies and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but argued that a lack of political will in the past had hindered efforts to prosecute the former minister in Nigeria.

“We urge the EFCC and the Nigerian judiciary to ensure that all outstanding cases involving Mrs Alison-Madueke are diligently pursued in accordance with the law,” Rafsanjani said.

He added: “Nigeria must strengthen its investigative capacity and reduce its dependence on foreign jurisdictions in the pursuit of justice and accountability.”