Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has been acquitted of all six bribery charges brought against her in the United Kingdom.
A jury at the Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday cleared the former minister after a 12-week trial in which she faced five counts of accepting bribes and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Alison-Madueke, 65, who served as petroleum minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan between 2010 and 2015, had denied all the allegations.
The jury returned its verdict after 46 hours of deliberations.
Prosecutors had alleged that Alison-Madueke received benefits from oil and gas industry figures seeking favourable treatment in the award of contracts in Nigeria during her tenure.
The prosecution told the court that she lived a luxurious lifestyle in London and allegedly benefited from cash payments, private jet travel, chauffeur-driven vehicles, luxury shopping expenses and high-value properties.
The alleged benefits included £100,000 in cash, more than £2 million spent on luxury shopping at Harrods, £4.6 million for property refurbishments and payments for household staff at luxury homes in London and Buckinghamshire.
In her defence, Alison-Madueke maintained that she neither requested nor accepted bribes and did not abuse her office.
Her legal team argued that the allegations were politically motivated and that investigators had misrepresented payments and benefits linked to her.
The trial, presided over by Justice Justine Thornton, focused on allegations said to have occurred between 2011 and 2015.
Alison-Madueke faced up to 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine if convicted under UK anti-bribery laws.
She was tried alongside oil executive Olatimbo Ayinde and her brother, Doye Agama.
Ayinde faced one count of bribery relating to Alison-Madueke and another count involving the bribery of a foreign public official, while Agama was charged with conspiracy to commit bribery over alleged payments linked to his church.
Both men denied the allegations and were also acquitted by the jury.
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