A jury in London has found the former Nigerian petroleum minister Alison-Madueke not guilty on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The verdict, returned on Wednesday, came after more than 46 hours of deliberation by the jury.
Alison-Madueke, who is 65 years old, served as Nigeria's petroleum minister between 2010 and 2015. She had been charged by the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency in 2023, in a case that drew attention to her years at the head of the country's powerful oil ministry.
Prosecutors had alleged that, while in office, she received cash, luxury gifts, chauffeur-driven services and private jet flights from individuals connected to energy companies. At the time, she was said to have wielded significant influence over the award of government oil contracts.
The court also heard that in 2014 she became the first woman to serve as president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, underlining the prominence she held during her time in government.
During the trial, the former minister firmly denied all the allegations, insisting she had not solicited or accepted bribes. Her defence team argued that some of the gifts and services cited by prosecutors reflected Nigeria's culture of gift-giving rather than corrupt dealings.
The court was also told that the former minister had been the target of a sustained smear campaign by individuals opposed to reforms aimed at increasing competition within Nigeria's oil sector, a claim presented as part of her defence.
In related verdicts, Alison-Madueke's brother, Doye Agama, was found not guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bribery, while the Nigerian oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayinde was cleared of two bribery charges, bringing the high-profile case to a close.