UK Court Clears Ex-Nigerian Oil Minister Alison-Madueke of Bribery Charges

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted by a London court of multiple bribery-related charges following a high-profile trial that lasted several months.

A jury at the Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom found the 65-year-old not guilty of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

The verdict brings an end to a case that had been under investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) for more than a decade.

Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 and became the first woman to lead Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, had faced allegations that wealthy oil businessmen funded luxury accommodation, shopping trips and other personal expenses while she held public office.

The acquittal represents a setback for British investigators who had pursued the case for 13 years.

During the trial, defence lawyers challenged the prosecution’s case, arguing that key documents capable of proving Alison-Madueke’s innocence had disappeared in Nigeria.

They also questioned the lengthy delay in bringing the matter before the court, describing it as evidence of a “broken criminal justice system.”

Also cleared of wrongdoing was Alison-Madueke’s elder brother, Doye Agama, who had been charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.

An oil industry executive, Olatimbo Ayinde, was likewise acquitted of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official.

Testifying in her defence, Alison-Madueke portrayed herself as a reform-minded public servant and advocate for women in leadership. She told the court that she earned the nickname “Madam due process” because of her strict adherence to regulations.

Reflecting on her rise in Nigeria’s oil sector, she said, “In a very patriarchal society, to have a woman sitting at the helm was a major no-no,” suggesting that her position made her a target of powerful opponents.

Prosecutors had alleged that several influential oil executives financed her lavish lifestyle while benefiting from government contracts.

However, the prosecution did not present evidence that Alison-Madueke awarded contracts to any of the businessmen in exchange for bribes.

Rejecting the allegations, the former minister told the court: “At no time did I ask, take, or seek a bribe or bribes of any sort.”

She maintained that some of the luxury purchases highlighted during the trial were not for her personal use and claimed she had merely advised the businessmen on interior decoration projects.

Alison-Madueke further argued that Nigerian ministers serving abroad were prohibited from maintaining foreign bank accounts and said she occasionally relied on wealthy associates to cover expenses in London because of administrative challenges within her ministry’s overseas office.

According to her testimony, those expenses were later reimbursed in Nigeria, and records supporting the repayments were allegedly seized from her Abuja residence but never produced before the court.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed Alison-Madueke as petroleum minister, did not testify during the proceedings.

However, a statement from him was presented in court, indicating that third parties sometimes paid for transportation, accommodation and other expenses incurred by ministers on official assignments abroad.