By ThePreview Team

 

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been cleared of all bribery charges brought against her by British prosecutors after a jury at a London court returned not-guilty verdicts on Wednesday.

The former minister, who served as Nigeria’s petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was acquitted of five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, 65, had consistently denied the allegations.

Prosecutors alleged that Mrs Alison-Madueke received lavish benefits and enjoyed what they described as “a life of luxury” in London, funded by oil and gas industry figures seeking favourable treatment and lucrative contracts in Nigeria’s petroleum sector. They argued that the benefits were provided in exchange for influence over government decisions and contract awards.

However, the former minister had maintained throughout the trial that she neither accepted bribes nor exercised direct control over the award of government contracts. Following more than 46 hours of deliberations, jurors at Southwark Crown Court found her not guilty on all six counts, Reuters reported.

ALSO READ: Expert slams NNPC refineries MoU with Chinese firms as ‘futile’

The verdict represents a major setback for British authorities, whose investigation into corruption allegations involving the former minister began more than a decade ago.

Mrs Alison-Madueke was one of the most influential figures in Nigeria’s oil industry during her tenure and also briefly served as president of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

She stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde, 54, who faced one count of bribery relating to Ms Alison-Madueke and another count of bribing a foreign public official.

The court’s decision brings to a close one of the most closely watched international corruption cases involving a former Nigerian public official.