After thirteen years of investigation and a grueling legal battle, former Nigerian oil minister Diezani Alison-Madueke has been acquitted of all charges in a London court. The jury at Southwark Crown Court returned a not-guilty verdict on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
The case, brought by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), alleged that Alison-Madueke accepted luxury benefits from oil executives in exchange for government favors. However, the prosecution failed to produce evidence that any contracts were awarded due to bribery.
Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria's oil minister from 2010 to 2015 and as president of OPEC, maintained her innocence throughout, claiming she was a victim of political targeting.
Her defense team successfully highlighted the incompetence of the prosecution, pointing to missing documents from Nigeria and a long, unjust delay in bringing the case to trial. Two other defendants, Doye Agama and Olatimbo Ayinde, were also acquitted of all charges.
The verdict serves as a major blow to the NCA, which had kept the former minister under intense scrutiny for over a decade without securing a conviction. Following the acquittal, Alison-Madueke stated that her 'nightmare is over' after years of what she described as relentless and unjust vilification.
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