Former Nigerian Petroleum Minister and ex-OPEC president acquitted alongside two co-defendants after lengthy trial in London.
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Alison-Madueke, who served under former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Prosecutors alleged she received luxury benefits from oil industry figures seeking contracts in Nigeria.
After more than 46 hours of deliberation, the jury found her not guilty on all counts. Co-defendants, oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama, were also acquitted of the charges against them.
The verdict brings to a close a high-profile corruption case that had been under investigation by British authorities for over a decade. Alison-Madueke consistently denied all allegations, maintaining that she neither accepted bribes nor influenced the awarding of government contracts.