A Southwark Crown Court in London has acquitted former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of six counts of bribery following a trial that began in January.
The former minister, who served between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was cleared after more than 46 hours of jury deliberation.
She had faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
British authorities had investigated allegations against Alison-Madueke for more than a decade, accusing her of receiving luxury benefits from oil and gas industry figures in exchange for influence over contracts in Nigeria.
Prosecutors had alleged that she benefited from a lavish lifestyle in London linked to individuals seeking lucrative petroleum deals in Nigeria, a country long troubled by corruption concerns in its oil sector.
However, Alison-Madueke denied the allegations, insisting she never received bribes and had no direct control over contract awards.
Her legal team argued that expenses cited by prosecutors were legitimate reimbursements for official government business.
Following the court’s decision, she was formally acquitted of all charges.
Comments
Add a comment