JUST-IN>>>UK Court Acquits Diezani Alison-Madueke of Bribery Charge
A London court has acquitted former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, of bribery charges following a lengthy trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The jury returned not guilty verdicts on Wednesday after more than 46 hours of deliberations, clearing Alison-Madueke of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Prosecutors had alleged that the former minister, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, received luxury benefits in London from oil and gas industry figures seeking lucrative contracts in Nigeria.
However, Alison-Madueke denied the allegations throughout the trial, insisting that she had no direct influence over the award of contracts.
Her defence team argued that the expenditures cited by prosecutors were either reimbursed by the Nigerian government for official engagements or personally paid for by Alison-Madueke.
The lawyers also maintained that she was known for promoting transparency in the petroleum sector during her tenure in office.
Following the verdict, Alison-Madueke’s legal team welcomed the decision, describing it as the end of a long legal ordeal.
In a statement issued after the ruling, her lawyer said she was grateful to the jury after having “unnecessarily endured the ordeal” of being separated from her family for more than a decade.
The statement added that the acquittal would allow her to resume her private and public life with her reputation restored.
The verdict marks a significant setback for British prosecutors, who had pursued the case as part of wider efforts to investigate alleged corruption involving international
public officials.
