Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has on Wednesday been acquitted and cleared of all charges filed against her in a corruption trial before the Southwark Crown Court in London.
Alison-Madueke was found not guilty by a London jury of six bribery charges, after a rare corruption trial of a high-profile former energy official.
The ex-minister who served between 2010 and 2015 under then-president Goodluck Jonathan, stood trial charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, which she denied.
Prosecutors alleged Alison-Madueke was given “a life of luxury” in London from oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria, which has long grappled with mismanagement and corruption.
In her defence, the 65-year-old former minister said she never took any bribes and had no real influence over the awarding of lucrative government contracts.
After a trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Alison-Madueke was acquitted by a jury of all six charges she faced after more than 46 hours of deliberation.
According to Reuters, the not guilty verdicts are a major blow to British authorities, which began their investigation into corruption allegations against Alison-Madueke more than a decade ago.
Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was charged with one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and a separate count of bribery of a foreign public official.
Alison-Madueke’s brother Doye Agama, 69, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister relating to payments made to Agama’s church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied the charges against them and were also acquitted by the jury.