Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, was on Wednesday found not guilty by a London jury of six bribery charges, after five months of trial.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, an oil minister 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 that the 65-year-old Mrs 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.
The jury deliberated for more than 46 hours before reaching its verdict.
Mrs Alison-Madueke was charged by the UK’s National Crime Agency in 2023 over allegations she took £100,000 in cash as well as accepting flights on private jets, chauffeur-driven cars and luxury goods from Louis Vuitton and Harrods.
Other counts allege she received school fees for her son, products from high-end shops such as London’s Harrods department store and Louis Vuitton, and further private jet flights.
Mrs Alison-Madueke has been involved in numerous legal cases globally, including in the United States.
She has been on bail in Britain since she was arrested in October 2015.
In 2023, she was formally charged with accepting bribes, which she has denied.
Mrs Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive, Mrs 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.
Also, her elder brother, Mr Doye Agama, 69, was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery with his sister relating to payments made to his church.
Both Mrs Ayinde and Mr Agama denied the charges against them and were also acquitted by the jury.