Prosecutors had accused Diezani Alison-Madueke of receiving cash and luxury services from industry executives between 2011 and 2015 in exchange for preferential treatment
Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been cleared of all six bribery charges by a UK court, ending a long-running prosecution on allegations she received luxury benefits in exchange for preferential treatment in obtaining oil contracts during her time in office.
The verdict, delivered on Wednesday at Southwark Crown Court, found Alison-Madueke not guilty of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The jury concluded that the charges had not been proved.
Prosecutors had alleged that between 2011 and 2015, while serving under former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, she accepted cash payments and high-end perks including private jet travel, chauffeur services, luxury London properties and expensive shopping sprees from oil traders and intermediaries seeking favorable access to Nigeria’s petroleum contracts.
The UK National Crime Agency brought the case following a years-long investigation into suspected corruption linked to Nigeria’s oil sector, one of the country’s most politically sensitive industries.
Alison-Madueke, who was the first female president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), denied all allegations throughout the proceedings, maintaining that she did not receive bribes and that her ministerial role was policy-focused rather than operational in terms of awarding contracts.
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The trial also involved allegations against two co-defendants – oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and Alison-Madueke’s brother, Doye Agama – both of whom were also acquitted.
Nigeria has consistently ranked among countries perceived as highly corrupt in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, placing 142nd out of 182 countries in the latest ranking, amid a series of high-profile cases involving senior political and business figures.
In May, Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested former Power Minister Saleh Mamman, who had earlier been sentenced in absentia to 75 years in prison for fraud and money laundering linked to major state-backed electricity projects.
The anti-graft agency has also declared Sadiya Umar Farouq, former Humanitarian Affairs Minister, wanted over allegations that she failed to account for 746.7 million naira ($549,000) paid to contractors. The country’s Ex-Accountant-General Ahmed Idris is also facing trial over an alleged 109-billion-naira fraud, which he denies.
On Wednesday, the EFCC said proceedings in the case against former Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and his former finance commissioner Ademola Banu had been adjourned to July 27, 2026, for further cross-examination in relation to the alleged diversion of 5.78 billion naira in Universal Basic Education Commission funds.
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