By Peace Udugba
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery-related charges brought against her in the United Kingdom, bringing to an end a corruption case that had been under investigation for more than a decade.
The verdict was delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court in London, where a jury cleared the 65-year-old former minister after more than 46 hours of deliberations.
Alison-Madueke, who served under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, had faced six counts, including five charges of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
British prosecutors alleged that several oil and gas businessmen provided her with luxury benefits in London in a bid to secure lucrative energy contracts in Nigeria. They argued that the former minister enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle financed by individuals seeking influence within Nigeria’s petroleum sector.
The former president of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), however, consistently denied the allegations. Throughout the trial, she maintained that she neither accepted bribes nor possessed the authority to determine the award of government contracts.
The jury returned unanimous not-guilty verdicts on all counts, bringing the high-profile proceedings to a close.
The outcome represents a significant setback for UK investigators, who launched their probe into Alison-Madueke’s activities more than ten years ago.
Also standing trial was Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was accused of bribing Alison-Madueke and of bribery involving a foreign public official. He denied the allegations and was acquitted on all charges.
Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama, 69, was also cleared after facing a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery linked to alleged donations made to a church with which he was associated.
The jury found both men not guilty, resulting in the acquittal of all three defendants in the case and bringing the long-running legal proceedings to an end.
