Diezani Alison-Madueke Acquitted of Bribery Charges

Diezani Alison-Madueke, the former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, was acquitted of all bribery charges by a jury at Southwark Crown Court in London after an 11-year investigation. The jury discharged her on five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery after deliberating for 46 hours.

The investigation, launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in 2012, accused Alison-Madueke of receiving luxurious gifts from oil industry executives in exchange for influencing lucrative contracts in Nigeria's oil sector during her tenure from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan. Throughout the trial, Alison-Madueke consistently denied the allegations, asserting that she did not solicit meetings with oil executives and that her interactions were arranged by government agencies.

She also mentioned undergoing cancer treatment during the investigation, which affected her memory of certain events.