Diezani Alison-Madueke vindicated as UK Court throws out corruption case

Diezani Alison-Madueke, who once served as the Petroleum Resources Minister, has been acquitted on six counts of bribery and conspiracy to bribe after a trial by a court in the United Kingdom.

According to reports, a jury panel at the Southwark Crown Court in London decided that there was no enough evidence for Alison-Madueke to be found guilty of six counts of bribery.

Alison-Madueke, who served as the Petroleum Resources Minister of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015, under former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s regime, is accused of receiving money from various businesspeople in the oil and gas industry who wanted to secure lucrative contracts in the country.

Prosecutors argued that she lived a luxurious life in London because of the influence she wielded to help the businesspeople secure oil contracts in Nigeria.

However, Alison-Madueke consistently denied all allegations, insisting that she neither received any bribes nor had the power to award contracts.

After a total of 46 hours of deliberations, the jury gave an unanimous not guilty verdict to Alison-Madueke on all charges brought against her.