Diezani Alison-Madueke Acquitted of Bribery Charges

Diezani Alison-Madueke, who served as Nigeria's Minister of Petroleum from 2010 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was acquitted of all six bribery charges on Wednesday following a trial at Southwark Crown Court in London. The charges included five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.

Alison-Madueke, 65, denied all allegations, which were related to her time in office and the oil and gas industry in Nigeria, a sector long plagued by corruption and mismanagement. The prosecution claimed she received bribes to influence the awarding of government contracts.

After 46 hours of deliberation, the jury found her not guilty, marking a significant setback for British authorities who had been investigating corruption allegations against her for over a decade. Alison-Madueke stood trial alongside oil industry executive Olatimbo Ayind, who faced charges related to bribery involving foreign public officials, and Doy Agama, who was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.