London Court Clears Ex-Nigerian Minister Of Petroleum Resources Diezani Of Bribery Charges
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her in the United Kingdom.
Alison-Madueke, 65, who served in the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, was charged with five counts of accepting bribes and a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
British prosecutors alleged that she received in London, luxury benefits from individuals linked to the oil and gas industry in exchange for influence over the award of lucrative contracts in Nigeria.
Alison-Madueke had consistently denied all allegations through-out the trial period, describing herself during the trial as a target of political persecution and insisted that all expenses associated with her official duties were either paid for or reimbursed through proper channels.
She had through-out her tria maintained that she never accepted bribes and had no direct role in awarding contracts.
The trial, presided over by Justice Justine Thornton focused on all allegations said to have occurred between 2011 and 2015.
After a trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court, Diezani Alison-Madueke was, in an unanimous decision by a jury, discharged and acquitted of all six charges she faced after 46 hours of deliberations on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
The former minister, Alison-Madueke, who also made history as the first woman to serve as president of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), was tried alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama.
Ayinde had faced one count charge of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and another count involving the alleged bribery of a foreign public official, while Agama’s case bordered on conspiracy to commit bribery over payments connected to his church.
The two accused persons, like the first, denied all allegations throughout the proceedings and the jury acquitted them of the all the charges.
