KEY POINTS

• A London jury acquitted former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke of all six bribery-related charges after a five-month trial.
• Prosecutors alleged she received luxury benefits from oil industry figures, but she consistently denied any wrongdoing.
• The verdict brings to an end an 11-year international investigation that began after her arrest in London in 2015.

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all bribery-related charges by a London court, bringing to a close an 11-year legal saga surrounding one of Nigeria’s most prominent public officials.

A jury at the Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday found the 65-year-old not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after deliberating for more than 46 hours. The verdict followed a trial that lasted five months.

Alison-Madueke served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister from 2010 to 2015 during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. She also made history by becoming the first woman to chair the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) between 2014 and 2015.

Allegations Against Former Minister

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which formally brought charges against her in 2023, had accused the former minister of receiving luxury benefits from individuals within the oil and gas industry in exchange for influence over contracts awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) between 2011 and 2015.

According to prosecutors, the alleged benefits included properties around London, private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles and expensive luxury items, which were reportedly provided through intermediaries.

The case formed part of a long-running international corruption investigation that began after Alison-Madueke’s arrest in London in 2015.

Throughout the proceedings, Alison-Madueke consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Her legal team argued that she neither accepted bribes nor exercised decisive authority over the awarding of government contracts, maintaining that her role in the process was largely administrative and procedural.

The defence insisted that the prosecution failed to prove that she personally benefited from any improper arrangement.

The not-guilty verdict effectively ends more than a decade of investigations and court proceedings spanning multiple jurisdictions.

The ruling represents a complete acquittal for the former minister, who remains one of the most recognizable figures in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and in global energy circles.

Alison-Madueke’s tenure as petroleum minister coincided with Nigeria’s position as Africa’s largest oil producer, while her leadership of OPEC marked a significant milestone for women in the global energy industry.