Former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke was cleared on Wednesday of six bribery charges after a high-profile corruption trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
Alison-Madueke, who served from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, had faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. She denied all allegations.
Prosecutors claimed the 65-year-old was provided with a “life of luxury” in London by oil and gas industry figures in exchange for securing lucrative contracts in Nigeria, a country often associated with corruption challenges.
However, she maintained that she never received any bribes and had no control over government contract awards. She also previously held a brief position as President of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
After more than 46 hours of deliberation, the jury at Southwark Crown Court found her not guilty on all counts.
According to Reuters, the verdict is considered a setback for UK authorities, who had been investigating the allegations for over a decade.
Alison-Madueke was tried together with oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced one charge of bribery connected to Alison-Madueke and another charge involving bribery of a foreign public official.
Her brother, Doye Agama, 69, also stood trial on a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery linked to alleged payments made to his church.
Both Ayinde and Agama denied all allegations and were likewise found not guilty by the jury.
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