Ex-Nigeria Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke Acquitted in UK Bribery Trial

Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Nigerian oil minister and first female president of OPEC, has been cleared of all charges in a high-profile bribery trial at London's Southwark Crown Court. The 65-year-old was found not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes and one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery. The prosecution had alleged that Alison-Madueke accepted luxury home stays and lavish spending from wealthy oil executives with government contracts, but the court determined the evidence was insufficient to support the charges.

The acquittal represents a significant setback for the UK's National Crime Agency, which had pursued the case for 13 years. Defence lawyers had consistently challenged the fairness of the prosecution from the trial's January commencement, highlighting missing vital documents from Nigeria that could have supported Alison-Madueke's innocence claims and criticizing the lengthy delay in bringing charges as emblematic of Britain's "broken criminal justice system." The defence also questioned why the six oil executives named in the indictment were never charged or extradited despite being central to the prosecution's case.

Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria's oil minister from 2010 to 2015, the country's second-most senior political position, and became president of OPEC in 2014. She became the first female member of the Nigerian board of Shell in 2006. In her testimony, she characterized herself as a strict adherent to procedural rules, earning the nickname "Madam due process," and suggested that her prominent position in a patriarchal society had made her a target. She testified that she had never sought or accepted bribes and that items purchased were often not for her personal use but related to interior design consultations with businessmen.

Alison-Madueke's defence argued that Nigerian government policy prohibited ministers from maintaining foreign bank accounts while serving overseas, necessitating that businessmen cover her living expenses during official business, with reimbursement occurring in Nigeria. She stated that evidence of these reimbursements had been seized from her home in Abuja but was never produced by Nigerian authorities. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed Alison-Madueke, provided a statement confirming that third parties commonly paid for transport, accommodation, and other costs for ministers on official overseas business.

Also acquitted were Alison-Madueke's brother Doye Agama, 69, an archbishop at a Pentecostal church in Manchester, who was cleared of conspiracy to commit bribery, and oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who was found not guilty of bribery and bribery of a foreign public official. Notably, Ayinde had been prosecuted despite serving as an informant in anti-corruption investigations by Nigerian authorities. Prosecutor Alexandra Healy KC had argued that the former minister improperly allowed powerful oil men to bankroll her extravagant lifestyle, but failed to provide evidence linking any contract awards to the alleged bribes. The jury's verdict suggests that reasonable doubt regarding the prosecution's case prevailed.