UK court clears ex-Nigerian minister Diezani Madueke of bribery charges

A London jury on Wednesday cleared a former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke of bribery charges.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, who served as petroleum minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government from 2010 and 2015, was discharged and acquitted of a charge of conspiracy to commit bribery and five counts of accepting bribes by the London Southwark Crown Court.
She was acquitted of all six charges by the UK court after over 46 hours of deliberation and debate on the charges filed against her by the prosecutor.
Mrs Alison-Madueke’s trial bordering on corruption and bribery came to an end after about a decade in the UK court.
The former minister was tried alongside her brother Doye Agama, charged with conspiracy to commit bribery and Olatimbo Ayinde, charged with one count of bribery.
Recall that in 2019, a ruling by the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, presided over by Nicholas Oweibo, ordered the permanent forfeiture of $40 million worth of jewellery to the Federal Government seized by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from the ex-petroleum minister.
Ms Alison-Madueke appealed the judgement but the appellate court ruled that her appeal lacked substance to upturn the ruling of the lower court.
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